It's Not Paradise, But I'll Call it Home
by OccasionalDream
Summary: Lee was desperate. He needed rent money and he needed it…oh, about three weeks ago. That's how totally beyond desperate his situation was. Which was why, with the help wanted flyer clenched in his fist and his thick eyebrows set in determination, Lee found himself outside of "Paradise", the most notorious gay club in all of Konoha. *This is a Gaalee story (so bottom Lee)*
1. And I find Myself here in the End

So yeah, I finally caved and decided to do this because why the hell not?

I obviously don't own any characters, because let's be real i'm not that talented. In case you couldn't tell this is going to be a BL story, so hella gay with Lee at it's centre.

* * *

Lee was desperate.

Okay, so maybe desperate was too kind a word; despairing, or even completely and utterly hopeless, was much more fitting.

He needed rent money and he needed it…oh, about three weeks ago. That's how totally beyond desperate his situation was.

Now, Lee hadn't always been so financially unstable or, rather, he had never had any finances to be responsible for. Thus, the current lack of both funds and resources could be attributed to his sudden move from a small country orphanage to an even smaller one room apartment in an overwhelmingly large city.

However, Lee didn't regret his choice to leave his previous home. In fact, the only thing Lee had ever really wanted regardless of every obstacle he'd come upon in his short life, was to be able to support himself. So despite his wretched financial state, and the absolute zero prospect of making rent for the fourth week in a row, Lee kept a blindingly white smile on his soft, cherubic face and worked even harder to find any job that would take him.

Which, after being rejected twenty-six times in the two months he had been on his own, was much harder then his endless optimism kept insisting. Despite his positive outlook, Lee knew that there was no way he would go back to the orphanage; he _just couldn't,_ not after Mother Tsunade had _finally_ allowed him to move out and stop continually wasting their time and resources that the younger kids, who actually had the chance to be adopted, deserved. He would make this, whatever this small piece of independence amounted to, work.

That was why, with the help wanted flyer clenched in his fist and his thick eyebrows set in determination, Lee found himself outside of "Paradise", the most notorious gay club in all of Konoha.

Being raised in an orphanage Lee had always known that, despite what he did or how much time he volunteered to giving back to the people who had given him so much, he was still reliant on the angelic Sisters that ran the house. This, in itself, was not what ate away at Lee day and night, making him curl into himself when he was alone (which he found was often) and berate his every waking moment. He knew, in the more rational part of his mind, that it wasn't his fault that his alcoholic father drank himself dead and that his poor, underaged mother only left him on the steps of the orphanage because she couldn't afford to care for herself and a young child. He really did understand that he was not to blame for what transpired that fateful day, and he could have forgiven himself if he hadn't been such an overwhelming burden to the Saint Kage's home for underprivileged youths.

* * *

Really short first chapter because it's more of a brief introduction than anything.

Comments would be nice but honestly I don't expect much so no worries.


	2. But is this Really Going to Work?

I know it looks like i'll be updating regularly, having posted this chapter right after the previous, but it's not true.

I do have plans to keep going with this but i'm not sure how regular these updates will be.

Please bear with me.

Again, I don't own anything that isn't my bad writing.

* * *

From a young age he had been noticeably different, which was not what a child hoping to be adopted wanted to be. Regretfully and without choice, Lee had been exactly such earning him a thick black smudge across the chance of ever having a normal life.

While he had the chubby childish body of most children paired with a gentle nature and loving disposition, it was his strange facial features that sealed his fate. His overly large eyes of pitch so dark that there was no obvious definition from iris to pupil (a clear mark of the devil Mrs. Smith had whispered while her husband nodded disapprovingly marking yet another couple that would not be adopting Lee) accompanied with his small pouty mouth, shiny raven hair he kept pulled in a small braid, and thick set eyebrows, Lee made an odd sight for an otherwise cherubic child.

While the Nuns had doted on Lee, constantly indulging his overly enthusiastic curiosity and encouraging his harmless tendency to trail behind the Sisters in their duties, the perspective parents found these behaviours to be an obvious ploy for attention and an obnoxious need for answers; nothing but an eyesore, a high maintenance wreck.

Any childish longing for a caring family that would maybe love him (when even his real parents couldn't) were crushed unsympathetically when all the parents arrived to just as quickly brush him off as worthless. He learned quickly after that to stand at the back of the large playroom when perspective parents came, or, if he was very lucky, escape outside to the garden where he could hide amongst the rose bushes whose thorns stung less than their disgusted eyes.

Despite it all, Lee had been happy and immensely grateful. While he hadn't acquired a family in the traditional sense, he had found family amongst the loving Sisters and his two best friends whom had also, through their own difficult circumstances, found themselves in Saint Kage.

Tenten, the courageous tomboy whom had leapt to Lee's defence after some of the other kids had gotten a little too violent with the docile Lee, was the first to arrive at Saint Kage. Lee had been eight and had never had a friend before, but Tenten had stuck to him like glue keeping the others from being too harsh while turning Lee's life upside-down. Tenten taught Lee how to smile again.

She was gone not even a year after she had come, quickly charming the nice looking parents that just couldn't resist adopting the lovely, sunny girl that had nothing but kind smiles for everyone. Lee saw Tenten cry for the first time that night as she promised to write him everyday and that "if they ever get too mean just call me, i'll come running back and make them sorry, I swear!". Surprisingly (for Lee had stopped believing in promises when he was five and Sister Lisa had promised him that the next family would be the one) she kept her promise and sealed their lifelong friendship when Lee received the first of many letters the following week.

The overly energetic boy that chattered on endlessly to anyone who would, or wouldn't listen, crash landed into his life next.

Naruto, as he introduced himself after he had spent the whole day with Lee, had taken one look at the scrawny, gawky eleven year old Lee, having just gone through another awkward growth spurt, and instantly declared them brothers for life. Lee could do nothing but gape at the blonde ball of energy as he was dragged to the small rusted play set and forced to hop on the swing so that Naruto could show him his awesome pushing skills.

Not even a month (filled with more smiles and laughter than Lee had ever thought he was capable of since Ten Ten had left) had passed before Naruto was being adopted by a wealthy family looking for a sibling for their youngest son. Naruto had protested so forcefully Lee had feared the parents would never come back. Luckily, on the second visit (which Lee had never seen happen in all his years at the orphanage) the family brought their youngest son who turned out to be a hard to approach, prideful hothead that Naruto instantly found a rival in.

He left on their third visit but not without announcing to all of the other kids that if they so much as touched a hair on Lee's head they would have to answer to him. No one bothered Lee after that (Naruto was a bigger menace then even Tenten had been). Naruto called Lee almost every weekend, and that, combined with Ten Ten's constant letter's, made Lee feel that maybe, just maybe, he did have a family after all.

Nevertheless, Lee, now at the not so tender age of seventeen, without a single chance of ever being adopted, found himself still an unsightly burden upon the serene Saint Kage and it's loving staff.

Although his friends had helped him regain his optimism and slowly, with the constant affection from the Nuns and support of his new family, he had come to love himself despite everything that had happened in his past, he still felt like a disease that plagued the orphanage; taking all their kindness, food, clothing, love and devouring it without compensation.

It was with this blackness weighing on his heart that Lee had approached Mother Tsunade. As the head of the orphanage, Mother Tsunade ran Saint Kage with a firm but gentle hand. She would not hesitate to reprimand (either very loudly with many curses or psychically throwing any object within reach) anyone doing wrong and was unapologetic about her decisions but was just as swift to praise or offer a hand in kindness. Tsunade, having raised Lee alongside the other Sisters, had a soft spot for the raven haired boy which Lee hoped would sway her decision slightly.

After hearing Lee through (while he practically begged to no longer be such a burden on them all) she had not been pleased, but understood his personal struggle. Seeing as Lee had received a scholarship to attend school in the city starting the coming fall and that he had proven time and again that he was more than capable of being an exemplary student, Tsunade had reluctantly agreed on the condition that Lee allowed her to provide him with an allowance until he could provide for himself.

The victory tasted bitter sweet in Lee's mouth, but he left only two days after he had been given permission and, after unpacking the little items he had in constricting one bedroom apartment in Konoha city, had felt oddly and overwhelmingly proud of his new tiny life. What he had ("most definitely not on purpose Mother Tsunade, of course not I swear on my vibrant youth!") failed to mention in his agreement was that he had no intentions of using the allowance he was being provided with longer than the first month he adjusted to city life.

Now, as Lee pushed through the front doors of Paradise, large eyes transfixed in complete awe at the garishly glowing sign above the club, he hoped he could keep his new life going and finally repay the family that gave him so much.

* * *

And there we have it, a little more backstory for Lee.

Yeah, I know it's a bit dramatic but whatever, sad orphan Lee gives me life.


	3. Welcome to Paradise

I'm not helping myself here by updating all at once, people will think it's always going to be like this.

Nothing belongs to me but my shitty writing.

* * *

"Yo, Bushy Brows, you coming or what?"

"BB, seriously are you going to come get ice-cream with us?"

"...Lee? Lee~!... LEE!"

Lee jolted in his seat, head snapping away from the window he had been mindlessly staring out since the last bell of the day had rung in the now almost empty school. His large obsidian eyes focused on the blonde boy impatiently fidgeting behind his desk, hand outstretched as if he was about to pull at Lee's unsuspecting braid trailing down his back.

"Ah, Naruto-Kun, I am so sorry but I am afraid I was not paying attention, what did you say?" Lee asked with apologetic eyes, head tilted guiltily.

"About time you started paying attention, you've been wish washy all day, seriously," Naruto huffed indigently "Anyways, a bunch of us are going to get ice-cream, Teme's treat, you in?"

Lee heard a brief shout of "you bleached blonde bastard, I never agreed to that!" from behind Naruto and ducked his head around his friend to see a group of five people waiting outside the open classroom door. Tenten had a placating hand on Sasuke's shoulder as he fumed over his adoptive brother's declaration. To the left of Tenten stood Neji and Hinata Hyūga, cousins from one of the wealthiest families in Konoha.

Although Neji and Lee had gotten off to a rocky start, the former finding Lee insufferably overbearing at first (before Lee had sat and talked to a sullen Neji in his estate Garden about all the different flowers and what they meant while Neji's father could be heard yelling from inside the complex), but became fast friends that shared a push and pull kind of relationship. Hinata, on the other hand, had gotten along with Lee almost immediately. Her shy demeanour and quite nature meshed extremely well with Lee's talkativeness and overly affectionate habits. Off the the far right, almost as if he was purposefully trying to remove himself from the group he had found himself with, was Gaara Sabaku.

Although Gaara was standoffish and with an overall apathetic outlook, he had managed to become Lee's first friend outside the orphanage.

They had met, quite accidentally, when Lee had turned twelve and had somehow gotten separated from the group outing that Saint Kage had gone on. Lee, on the verge of a panic attack, fretting about potentially being abandon yet again by the one group of people he had trusted so much, had aimlessly wandered the small park he had found himself in quietly sobbing as fat tears rolled down his cheeks. When he had almost lost all hope and plopped himself down on a lonely bench on the outskirts of the playground to continue crying silent tears, a small hand had reached out and grabbed Lee's own.

Lee, startled out of his crying fit, had turned to see a small boy, with piercing teal eyes ringed in dark kohl like smudges, staring at him. The redheaded boy, despite not speaking a word to Lee, had stayed with him until one of the Sisters, in a flurry of movements, had rushed over promising that they'd never leave him again.

Gaara, as the other kid finally offered, didn't let go of Lee's hand until he was safely on the bus again where Lee promised to come back the following week and play with him as a means of thanks. True to his word, he was allowed a second outing (which became a bi-weekly occurrence) to the small park in the city where he spent hours with his strange new friend. It had just been an extremely happy coincidence that Gaara had, by the time Lee arrived at the new high school, reluctantly befriended Naruto and eventually their small group had formed.

Lee, with a quick wave and smile to the rest of his friends, brought his attention back to the still fidgeting Naruto.

"However much I wish to join you in this truly delightful adventure, I must decline," Lee replied sadly a little pout forming "I promise that next time I will most definitely come with you on such a glorious outing!"

"But Lee, you've been so busy these past months and you've barely hung out with us at all!" Naruto protested loudly in a whiny voice. "C'mon BB, just like one scoop and you can eat it really fast! I mean, you inhale your food all the time anyways, just do it with the ice-cream!"

Lee laughed lightly, the cheerful sound echoing slightly in the barren room. Naruto grabbed his hands in a desperate plea, putting on his best puppy dog face to get Lee to come.

"I cannot my dear friend, I am truly sorry for not being available this past while, but I must finish my homework before I go to work so that my grades do not drop" Lee smiled brightly squeezing Naruto's hands in reply.

"Bu-"

"Naruto, let him be," Neji called from outside the classroom, an irritated look on his face "he'll join us when he's not busy."

"Yeah you dope, no need to be so overly dramatic. Let's just walk Lee home and then get ice-cream, that way we can spend time with Lee and still go out. Win-Win" Tenten added, a sunny smile on her face as she easily solved the little dilemma.

"Yosh!" Lee quickly agreed as he eagerly jumped out of his chair slightly startling the blonde still in front of him, "What an excellent idea Tenten, I would love for you all to accompany me home!"

Naruto made a face as if still uncertain as to whether or not he agreed with the decision. He briefly squeezed Lee's hands tightly before releasing one and reluctantly jerking his head in agreement, expression still pulled in slight annoyance.

Lee beamed as Naruto turned and dragged him to the open door where their group of friends were waiting, secretly thankful for Tenten's passive acceptance of his busy schedule. The less they pressured him about his work the less likely it was that Lee would cave and tell them the whole truth about his new employment.

See, the thing was that Lee had finally gotten a job, and he had told his friends as much which resulted in many cheers and congratulations for they knew that he had been struggling (not the full truth of course because Lee would never saddle them with that burden). However, his place of employment was…..not so much the topic that Lee could speak freely on without his face burning with so much embarrassment that he could feel steam rising from his cheeks.

Of course they had asked him, being the caring friends they were, if they could drop by and visit him at some point, but Lee had blanched at even the thought of it. If he could barely stand the reality of his new job then how would they react themselves?

Being completely incapable of lying, Lee had resorted to….omitting some information. He fed them basic facts, so they knew he worked evenings and that he was a waiter at a rather popular establishment, but Lee had insisted that he wanted to focus on work when he was there and made them promise that they would never try to interrupt his working hours. What they didn't know…..well Lee was sure that it wouldn't hurt them to remain blissfuly unaware of those matters.

Lee quickly snapped back to himself when he felt a warm hand graze his still unoccupied one (as he realized that his other was still comfortably held within Naruto's) noticing now that the small group were making their way through the side streets of the city. Lee tilted his head slightly to the left to look directly into the unwavering eyes of Gaara as he once again brushed his hand to Lee's. Gaara briefly furrowed his non existent eyebrows asking, in his own silent way, if Lee was alright. Lee felt his face soften at the concern, which disappeared almost as quickly as it had formed, his cheeks heating slightly.

Chatter filled the air as Lee smiled gently, understanding Gaara's ploy to pull him out of his thoughts and back to the friends around him. Joining in the conversation, he reached over and grabbed Gaara's hand in his own, a subtle thanks to the redhead for bringing him back to the present.

After his friends had dropped him off at his house with calls of seeing him tomorrow and "we expect to know how your first shift is even if you don't want to talk about work!", Lee found himself staring into the pitiful contents of his closet (more like a small indent in the wall with a couple of hangers) praying that he could make something work. They had said that a more casual dress code was what they were aiming for but Lee was most certain that when they had said that they had meant the casual where one looked like they had carelessly rolled out of bed looking like a millions dollars not…some poor kid that only owned hand me downs.

He had a total of two long sleeved sweaters, one green and worn that, no matter what he did, fell of his left shoulder and a dark grey boxy number that covered much too much skin (which wasn't, in Lee's opinion, a bad thing) for his job. Beside the sad garments were two nondescript short sleeved shifts, one a light green and the other a faded pink, and three pairs of worn jeans that were tattered beyond repair. I can work with the jeans at least, Lee thought trying to keep positive when faced with such little options, they did say the more skin I am willing to show the better…

Letting out a soft huff of despair while cupping his round cheeks, Lee lowered himself to his floor resting against the small mattress he called a bed, which had been pushed flush against the opposite wall. How had he gotten himself in this situation again? Oh yes, he had needed money and Paradise had decided to, after everywhere else had turned him away, give Lee a chance.

Yes, Lee, after struggling with bitter rejections over the past two months, had indeed found himself as the newest employee of the biggest gay club in Konoha city: Paradise. Dropping his head to rest on the top of his bed, Lee looked unseeing at the white ceiling of his apartment as he recalled the…. unique events of his hiring.

~~~* _flashback*~~~ ~~~*flashback*~~~_

Even though Lee had been dead set on pushing through those doors and proving to anyone that would listen that he, Rock Lee of Saint Kage's institution, was more than capable of doing any job they threw at him be it day or night, anytime anyplace, the moment he had actually entered the clandestine establishment he had lost most of his nerve. Shuffling awkwardly to the side, Lee couldn't tear his eyes away from the sheer spectacle of the place. It was rather busy, Lee noted first, with men and women alike chatting and sipping on their (more likely than not) alcoholic beverages of choice as countless men, in various states of dress, shuffled around the crowds dolling out drinks or sharing conversation with the guests.

The tables and chairs were surprisingly luxurious, in their shades of rich reds and soft velvets, for the kind of establishment it was (for Lee had always picture these places to be cheap and seedy with simple furniture). The walls were what appeared to be a dark onyx that seamlessly enclosed the rather large space, but when the soft lights hit just right flecks of silver and gold could be seen sparkling in tantalizing movements along the partitions.

To the far left of the club there was what Lee assumed (for he had never seen one before but knew enough to piece it together) was the bar. It was a sleek black piece that jutted proudly from the ground connecting to the wall in a swooping semi-circle. Housed behind the bar were what seemed like endless glass shelves filled with so many different bottles of alcohol slithering along their lengths that Lee felt himself become dizzy.

What looked like thousands of lights to Lee were embedded in the dark ceiling of Paradise, emitting a soft sensual glow that enclosed the establishment in a mysterious air making the whole place even more appealing int it's forbidden feel. Lee was harshly pulled out of his silent gawking when sudden applause and loud whistles burst from the crowd. Lee turned his head to focus at the back of the club once again just in time to see the red curtain that had been obstructing the large stage, which Lee had just noticed, begin to part.

What Lee saw next threatened to have him passing out with how fast all his blood traveled straight to his face in a full body blush. A tall and slender man, with deathly pale skin and heavy lidded eyes, could be seen standing in the centre of the stage a haughty smirk plastered on his handsomely cold face.

His shirt (if one could call it that) was nothing more than a black sleeveless turtleneck that had been cropped to mid ribcage leaving the smooth expanse of his slightly toned torso on full view. He also wore a pair of matching black leather pants that stuck to him like a second skin, emphasizing his long slender legs. The heavy combat style boots on his feet clunked almost inaudibly as he began his seductive dance, rolling his (more than appealing, Lee's brain supplied) body to the thumping music that had started to fill the club.

 _I can not do this, I really can not_ , Lee thought to himself as he quickly brought his hands up to cover his flaming face. He had unknowingly started to back up in a futile attempt to escape from the scene unfolding in front of him and, as a result, ended up bumping into a figure behind him in his haste. Whipping around, Lee came face to - well chest - with what appeared, from his line of sight, to be a tall, toned man. He was dressed in a shimmery black wife beater that was slightly raised to reveal strong pelvic bones that disappeared into a well fitting pair of dark wash jeans.

Looking up, cheeks burning with renewed embarrassment, Lee's apology died on his lips as he took in the handsome face of the silver haired individual. His one visible not obstructed by the hair that had been styled to hide the other, focused lazily down on Lee. The odd black face mask he wore obscured the lower half of his face making it impossible for Lee to gage his current emotions.

Shaking himself out of his stupor as he noticed just how close he had been standing to the other man, Lee moved back to actually apologize when a strong hand shot out to grab at his left hand. Startled, Lee jolted at the unexpected contact, furrowing his eyebrows in distress.

 _He must be a bouncer_ , Lee reasoned calmly before the serious nature of the situation fully kicked in. _Oh dear kami-sama he is probably going to psychically throw me out,_ Lee began to panic, _and then he is going tell everyone about my trespassing and I will never be able to get a job because the police will arrest me for going into a club underaged and I really can not work from jail or, worse yet, Mother Tsunade will probably find me herself and scold me for hours before telling me how ashamed she is and how she wished I had just been left at the park during that outing and the-_

Lee's downward spiralling thoughts were cut short when the other male brought his unoccupied hand forward to retrieve the flyer, which Lee belatedly realized he had been crushing in his clenched fist. Pulling Lee along with the hand he still firmly held, the man, now with the flyer in his hold, led him around the crowd, which was still cheering loudly at whichever performance was occurring on stage, to the bar Lee had spotted earlier.

Pushing past the man that was manning the rather busy bar, Lee was brought through a hidden door near the edge of the enclosed area that opened to reveal an office of sorts which, with it's clean white walls and business like set up of computer desk and chair, seemed oddly out of place. Upon their entrance another man, who had been perched at the desk studiously tapping away at the expensive looking computer, turned around to focus on the new occupants of the room.

Lee was not prepared for the loud yell of joy that ripped through the small area and was definitely not ready for the bone crushing hug that accompanied the exclamation.

"I found this one cowering by the entrance when Sai started his number," The silver haired man spoke for the first time, voice pitched low and smooth in a monotone statement.

"I would have kicked him out too if I hadn't noticed the flyer in his hand," he added lazily.

"OH JUST LOOK AT HIM KAKASHI!" The other man with a strong masculine face and thick eyebrows bellowed in delight, voice booming jovially, "So very cute and what a youthful appearance! He is most definitely a spectacular candidate for the - wait, why would you have kicked him out?"

"Gai, you can't seriously tell me that this kid looks older than, what, sixteen at most? He's underaged" the man Lee assumed must be Kakashi answered.

"THEN WHY DID YOU BRING HIM HERE, WE CAN'T CORRUPT TODAYS YOUTH THIS WAY!" Gai, whom had put Lee down at this point, screeched scandalized while pulling Lee back to firmly clasp him to his chest.

"Ah…" Lee stuttered out as two sets of eyes immediately focused on him "I…um, that is….I will be turning eighteen in two days time so technically I am pretty much, er, legal anyways….if that helps at all."

Gai immediately picked Lee back up and spun him around while laughing loudly. "THAT IS PERFECT MY LITTLE LOTUS! YOU CAN START THEN!"

Kakashi merely rolled his visible eye and turned to exit the room. "I guess you'll want me to take down the flyers, hmm?" he questioned with a slow tilt of his head.

"Yes my dearest friend, we will have no need for them now!" Gai quickly agreed.

Lee was unceremoniously placed down on a small leather couch situated to the right of the desk while Gai rolled his chair over and took as seat across from him.

"So," Gai smiled blindingly as he focused on his newest employee, "I'll give you a quick rundown of the job and then have you sign some paperwork. Oh, this is going to be so wonderful~ I'm so glad you came, er what was it?"

Without really thinking since he was still completely overwhelmed by the events that had happened in such rapid succession, Lee replied in the only way manners dictated he respond. "My name is Rock Lee, but everyone just calls me Lee, it is very nice to meet you."

"Well Lee, i'm Maito Gai and that silver haired serious guy is Hatake Kakashi, welcome to Paradise!"

* * *

Now the fun really begins~

Comments or, you know reviews, are appreciated but not expected!


	4. A Fresh Start

You know, posting another update the day after I keep insisting there won't be regular updates isn't really helping my case.

Nothing belongs to me except for my awful words.

* * *

Lee let out a long sigh as he opened eyes he didn't recall closing. Despite his chaotic first experience at Paradise, Lee found himself oddly found of the strange duo that ran the establishment. While Kakashi had been seemingly aloof and disinterested at first, he had walked Lee home at the late hour he found himself leaving the club. This small gesture of kindness, that Lee was more than grateful for, instantly warmed him to the serious faced man.

And Gai, well Gai just made Lee feel instantly welcome, like his presence alone was actually worth something. Gai, with his easy smiles and quick laughter made Lee feel at home at Paradise and quickly banished any hesitations Lee had in accepting the position he had been so kindly offered.

 _It was nice to feel that way,_ Lee mused to himself, _maybe this job will not be as bad as I initially assumed. I really should not have judged it before I actually got to know more about it._ Smiling to himself, the raven haired boy stretched from his reclining position and looked back to his clothes. _Now if only my outfit problem was as easy to overcome…_

Glancing at the small clock that sat on his tiny bedside table, Lee was alarmed to find that an hour had passed as he mused over what had transpired at Paradise the week before. This meant he had less than twenty minutes to get to work.

Bolting to his feet, Lee ripped his school uniform off, keeping his thin black undershirt on, and scrambled into his green sweater figuring that the off the shoulder look would be a definite bonus (especially if he was going to be late). He then pulled on his light grey skinny jeans that had rips clean through the knees and some, more daringly, near his upper thighs.

With fifteen minutes remaining, Lee took a moment to spare a look at himself over in the small mirror hung to the right of his closet. Dark eyes roved over his own form trying to take everything in as fast as he could. With a quick nod of his head, figuring it really wouldn't get better than what little he had done, Lee pulled on his nicer shoes (which really meant scuffed up dress shoes that pinched his heels) and grabbed his bag and keys.

In a split second decision as he rushed out the door, Lee pulled his hair out from the constricting braid letting it flow in loose waves down his back. Giving on final look of regret to the unfinished homework that sat in a haphazard pile on his bed, Lee locked his door and practically flew out of the apartment complex and into the welcoming city streets.

~~~*timeskip*~~~ ~~~*timeskip*~~~

"First day and you're late, I can't say i'm surprised" Kakashi greeted Lee at the door without looking up from the small novel in his hand.

Lee felt himself flush as he dashed past the stoic man while repetitively shouting quick apologies for his tardiness. _Rushing behind the bar, he hoped that Gai wouldn't be too disappointed in him. Maybe if I explain what happened he will understand_ , Lee reasoned internally, _honesty is always best, is it not? But…what if he thinks that I am just making excuses!?_ Lee raised his hand to knock on the office door, still fretting over how he was going to explain his lateness, but before his outstretched fist could make contact, the door swung open heavily. Lee looked up with an apologetic expression on his face ready to beg for forgiveness, to see not the beaming face of Gai, but the pale man whom Lee recognized from the performance he had witnessed the week before.

Lee could feel the faint blush on his face darken as he recalled just what his first one sided encounter with this man had been like, but hastily shook himself out of his stupor, berating himself for being so rude. He pulled the hand he still had extended back down to his side and smiled in polite greeting.

"Hello fellow colleague, I am Rock Lee and today will be my first shift at Paradise! I hope that we can become great friends!" Lee finished with a small tilt of his head, face radiating nothing but sincerity.

His smile began to falter slightly as the ashen faced man merely continued to stare Lee down with his dark dull eyes, mouth held steady in an expressionless line. Suddenly the ebony haired male turned to face the inside of the office calling out to somebody in the room.

"Gai, that new cutie you hired is here," the still unknown male informed Gai in an unexpectedly soft voice. Facing Lee once more, he gave him a quick smile that, although felt genuine, looked oddly plastic. "I like this one so don't scare him off," he concluded as he walked passed a crimson faced Lee and over to the stage where Kakashi was talking to a small group of men.

Lee was literally plucked from his attempts to process what the pitch eyed man had said as Gai rushed out of the office and scooped him up into another one of his bone crushing hugs.

"LEE YOU HAVE ARRIVED!" Gai yelled delightedly as he spun them around in happy circles.

"I am so sorry for my lateness," Lee began as Gai gently lowered him to the ground. "It is completely my fault for not arriving on time and I take full responsibility for my less than professional actions. I understand if you would like to fire me for my irresponsibility," he regretfully stated bowing deeply in apology.

Lee jolted slightly as a large, warm hand landed on his shoulder. Looking up through his lashes, he saw Gai staring back at him with a serious expression on his face, eyebrows drawn together sternly. Closing his eyes in anticipation of the words of rejection he knew were bound to come (like everyone else, Lee reflected sadly, of course it would up this way…) he was shocked when loud, joyful laughter easily cut through the suffocating atmosphere that had formed.

"Lee, my little Lotus, why you have turned up just on time! There is no need to be so upset, you have apologized and I have excepted and now it is behind us!" Gai effortlessly waved off the storm of emotions that had risen inside Lee.

Overwhelmed by the easy acceptance, Lee felt himself tear up slightly. He had been given another chance! "THANK YOU SO MUCH GAI!" the smaller male shouted happily, bowing once again in thanks. "I will not betray your kindness in the future!"

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" Gai agreed instantly, smiling widely at Lee and flashing a quick thumbs up. "Now, we shall begin again in a more cheerful manner becoming of your youth! If you would be willing, I would appreciate if you followed me into my office so that we could discuss more on the role you will be fulfilling at Paradise."

Entering the small room, Lee once again found himself sat upon the leather couch tucked in the corner as Gai pulled over his computer chair.

Jumping right into business, Gai pulled out a small pile of paperwork skimming over the pages quickly. "So at first you will be starting out as a server which means you will be required to take and deliver customer orders.I have felt the aura of dedication that you exude, so I am most certain that you will easily excel at these tasks!" Gai assured Lee with a warm smile.

"If anyone at any point becomes too handsy or makes you feel uncomfortable in any manner do not hesitate to find either Kakashi or myself. We will be sure to deal with their most unbecoming behaviour ourselves" Gai added with a threatening glint in his eyes. "Do not feel bad for walking away from these situations, you are not required to help those who do not respect you."

"Now that that has been covered, I must ask you how do you feel about the prospect of becoming one of our performers?" he asked nonchalantly.

Lee felt his body relight in a harsh flush as he remembered some of the things he had seen these performers do. "I…..I am not sure if I a-am really…..suited f-for the task." he stuttered out embarrassedly.

"Nonsense!" Gai brushed off instantly, "with your large round eyes and pouty lips, not to mention your most youthful physique, you will have the customers practically eating out of your hands!"

Lee's face burned even brighter as Gai's words sunk in. "I do n-not know a-about that," he quickly deflected gripping his upper arm harshly. "I am really nothing much to look at." Lee concluded as he broke eye contact with Gai, remembering the harsh words that had been directed his way most of his life.

"Well whoever told you that is either blind, jealous, or a complete idiot…..or perhaps all three," a new voice interjected.

Both Gai and Lee looked over to see a tall man with spiky chocolate brown hair pulled back into a bushy ponytail lazily leaning against the wall just inside the room.

"It is exactly as our dear Shikamaru has said Lee, you are most adorable and shine brighter than a thousand suns in your youthful vitality!" Gai beamed at Lee then turned his attention back to the newcomer. "what delightful thing has occurred that has brought you into my little office Shikamaru?"

"Kakashi sent me to tell you that he will be opening soon." Shikamaru huffed out, tsking in an irritated manner."How troublesome, he should have come himself," he added as he walked out of the office in a slow, careless stride.

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME SHIKAMARU, I AM MOST GRATEFUL!" Gai shouted to the retreating back of the passive man. "As for you Lee, I would like you to think on the matter of becoming a performer. Although I believe that you would be more than exceptional at the job, I do not want you to do anything that will cause you unnecessary stress!"

Lee released a small sigh of relief at Gai's words. _Gai is such a kind man I am so very thankful to have met him_ , Lee mused happily. After months of worrying and feeling down about his situation Lee felt a weight lift off his shoulders. _I do not know why but I somehow know that Paradise will be something so very good for me,_ the raven haired male decided.

"One more question before you start, and I do understand if you do not want to answer me which is more than alright," Gai thoroughly assured, "but as a gay club we do tend to hire men of the same or similar sexual orientation. That is not to say that we discourage straight males to apply nor discriminate against their right to be employed here, but we do not want anyone to feel uncomfortable if they are shown interest by people of the same gender. Do you feel as if this will be an issue?"

Lee was a bit thrown at the question Gai asked. He wanted to answer Gai honestly but found himself hesitating. It was not that he did not trust Gai, because he did completely, it was just that…..he had never voiced it out loud. He had always known he was strange, and that had been constantly reaffirmed by the people who had pointed out his looks or mannerisms, but only Lee really knew how different he was.

He had found himself rather early on looking at the strong lines of men and the beauty he found there when other males his age were finding beauty in the soft curves of women. Fearing even greater rejection, Lee had never admitted to his longings and had made sure to keep to himself when such conversations occurred. However, he was certain Tenten had figured it out after one innocent comment Lee had made about how handsome Neji had looked in his new school uniform.

Lee took a deep, calming breath, and pulled his shoulder back in determination. He was ready to move on from the suffocating claws that his past had on him, no longer willing to curb himself to their whims. He was beyond his childhood fears and really wanted to embrace the fresh start he felt that Paradise could offer him.

Looking directly into the encouraging grin on Gai's face, Lee's resolve was solidified. "It will not be a problem at all Gai-sama," came Lee's impressively steady reply, "I myself am also g-gay and find no issue in the harmless attention of other males."

"I AM SO PROUD OF YOU LEE," Gai's thundering voice responded in a joyous tone as he swooped over and enveloped the slender male in his strong arms. "You will fit right in at Paradise, I just know it!"

Lee relaxed into the warm embrace wrapping his arms around Gai's back, giving a tight squeeze in response.

Pulling back slightly, Gai and Lee shared warm smiles as Lee hastily wiped away the moisture that had formed in his eyes.

"Now all that's left is for you to get changed and then I will get Sai to give you the basics of serving drinks and taking orders." Gai resolved.

Lee blanched slightly at what Gai had said. Letting out a peal of nervous laughter, Lee awkwardly rubbed the back of his head as he sheepishly looked back to Gai.

"Actually….these are the only suitable clothes that I have…" he admitted shyly.

"I see," Gai said rubbing his chin in thought, "Do not worry my friend! I am more than certain that we have something lying around that we can piece together! Just you wait, you will be looking the part in no time!" Gai laughed loudly.

Although Lee was more than ready for whatever challenges Paradise could present, he couldn't help but feel slight worry for just what Gai deemed looking the part to be.

* * *

So Lee has worked through all his doubts about Paradise, but will he feel the same after he finds out just what being Paradise material really means?

Thank you so much for the kind words that were left on this shitty story, it warms my heart to see them!


	5. The New me Feels Good

I'm not even going to go there (I mean what am I doing? another update really?)

I'm just going to update whenever so we'll see how that goes

Nothing belongs to me except for the sad, sad state of the words I have written

* * *

Gai ushered Lee out of the office guiding him from behind the bar over to the large stage that occupied most of the back of the club. Although Kakashi had opened the doors not even fifteen minutes prior, the lush tables and chairs were already filling up to a sizeable crowd. Gai expertly maneuvered the pair through the throng of people and around the stage to a door off to the right.

Entering this new room, Lee was led into what appeared to be a large dressing area. There were several long vanities set at the far end of the room overflowing with various hair and makeup products along with two rolling racks of costumes in some of the brightest colours Lee had ever seen. The majority of the room, however, was left empty with the whole left wall consisting of a giant series of mirrors. Looking further to his right, Lee spotted a large pole hooked to the floor and ceiling where he once again spotted the unexpressive man from earlier.

"This most wonderful room is used for our performers to prepare for going on stage," Gai began, drawing Lee's attention back to him. "They can also use the room to practice new routines! As you can see, my little lotus, we have quite an extensive costume collection that you are more than welcome to borrow from at anytime!"

Gai turned his head, as if searching for someone, eyes lighting up as he too spotted the ebony haired male by the pole. "Sai, what a most excellent coincidence!" he happily called out. "You were just the person I was looking for! Our Lee here needs a bit of an outfit change and then if you would be so kind as to show him the ropes I would be delighted!

Sai, as Lee now knew the man was called, gracefully walked over to the two and instantly focused on Lee. His dark eyes roved over Lee's body making him feel oddly exposed despite his rather conservative (in comparison to the black loose fitting crop top and dark, ripped jeans the other was wearing)garments. Lee begin to fidget under Sai's scrutiny and found himself taking a rapid step back directly into Gai's chest when the other male's eyes snapped back up to meet his own.

"It would be my pleasure Gai," Sai softly agreed, another forced smile spreading on his face.

"Fantastic! I shall leave him in your more than capable hands" Gai exclaimed as he brought both of his hands down onto Lee's shoulders. Giving them a brief squeeze, Gai pushed an unsuspecting Lee straight into Sai's now open arms.

Lee emitted a high pitched squeak of surprise as he was utterly unprepared for the harsh action. In an attempt to at least lesson the blow of the inevitable fall, he flung both of his arms out to try and catch himself. Instead of hitting hard ground, Lee found himself pulled to a surprisingly strong chest as two arms snaked around his waist. The arms Lee had outreached were now crushed between himself and, what he was slowly realizing, Sai's body. He unconsciously fisted his hands in the other's flimsy shirt as he looked up into the handsome face of the other male. Worrying his lower lip between his teeth, Lee found himself almost transfixed by Sai's unwavering gaze.

Gai's loud, abrupt call of "If you need anything feel free to come find me!" had Lee pushing back against the notably strong hold around his waist.

"I AM TERRIBLY SORRY," Lee loudly apologized, face flaming at his accidental actions.

Sai stared at the red face of the slightly shorter raven haired male, allowing a small genuine smile to grace his usually blank features. "Don't worry about it," he purred out. " You're cute so I forgive you."

Lee sputtered at Sai's comment and tried to look anywhere but at the face still much too close to his own. "T-thank you?" was his stuttered reply, uncertain of how to respond. "Um….you can let go of me now I promise I will not fall again."

"And if I said I didn't want to?" Sai quipped, bland expression falling on his face once again.

"But…..how am I going to serve tables if you are attached to me Sai-san?" Lee honestly asked, head tilting in question.

A soft, tinkling laughter momentarily rang through the air as Sai gave Lee a light hug before releasing his grip altogether. "So honest, I like it. Oh and please, call me Sai. What are honorifics between friends, hmm? Let's get you a new outfit, shall we?"

Lee was still somewhat baffled at what had just happened but warmed at Sai's declaration of friendship. "Yosh! I would greatly appreciate your help Sai"

"Perfect," Sai declared, clapping his hands together, "I know just the thing to have you wear. Wait here while I get it."

Lee watched as Sai quickly strolled over to the outfit racks and pulled off what appeared to be some sort of shirt and grabbed a couple of the items from the vanity beside it. As he headed back over, Sai tossed him a black shimmery top of almost translucent material. It had a high turtle neck collar, which Lee was thankful for, but as he turned it around he regretted his early celebration. The garment, Lee noted with a quick intake of breath, was completely backless having only a small piece of material that connected the very bottom of the shirt.

"What are you waiting for? Put it on, it's going to look amazing, trust me," Sai assured, urging the motionless Lee into action.

Swallowing his doubts, Lee (whom was more than accustomed to changing in front of others from his time in the crowded dorms of the orphanage) removed his sweater and tank top, pulling the other shirt on. After fastening the collar at the back of his neck with the small clasps sewn into the fabric, he smoothed down the exceptionally soft material of the shirt, admiring how the flecks of woven in silver glimmered at the movement. _It fits me perfectly_ , Lee mused. _It is very comfortable and easy to move in_ , he concluded twisting his torso back and forth. Lee turned back towards Sai seeking some sort of feedback because, despite what he thought, he honestly had no idea how this style of shirt would look on him.

"This is even better than I thought, you look delectable," Sai smirked, giving Lee a subtle once over. "Now come here so I can add the finishing touches."

When Sai had finally finished turning Lee this way and that, fretting over his hair while he slipped on a few accessories and applied what Lee had briefly recognized as lipgloss, the apathetic male stepped back to admire his finished creation.

After waiting for what felt like minutes for some sort of vocal reaction, Lee began to squirm under Sai's intense fixation. The inscrutable mask of the sallow male seemed pinched and frozen, as if half way between an expression he himself had never genuinely made before.

 _Maybe the additions do not look as he had hoped_ , his brain suggested unhelpfully trying to decipher what had made Sai react as such. _Surely it can not be that bad….can it? He seemed to think the shirt suited me fine, so perhaps it is my hair?_ Unable to stand the tension that had formed during the bout of prolonged silence, Lee found himself turning to the large mirrors on the wall behind him to see just what had stunned the other so thoroughly.

The sight that met him in the reflective surface had him just as startled, if not more so, than the still motionless Sai. Somehow, against all the swirling thoughts and emotions that were currently overwhelming the raven haired teen, the first thing that came to Lee's boggled mind was not something he had ever really considered before let alone thought possible: _I look good._ This, of course, was followed by: _Am I dreaming? I must have fallen asleep when I was struggling with which clothes to wear._ Which were then displaced with: _Have I always been so thin….? Is….is that a mole on my neck? How long has that been ther-_

"Stop overthinking it and just accept the fact that you're gorgeous" the smooth tinder of Sai's voice effectively halted Lee's stream of thoughts.

"I….I do n-not…. you must possess some sort of magic," Lee responded still engrossed by his oddly unfamiliar double, touching his hair and face lightly.

"Sorry to disappoint, but all I really did was replace the tatty rags you call clothes and pulled your hair back so more of your face was visible. The rest is all you Lee~" Sai's reflection winked at him through the mirror.

Focusing back on this new version of himself, Lee took his duplicated image waist length hair, which he had originally had loose, was pulled back in a sleek high ponytail, allowing his straight fringe to shape his large, obsidian eyes freely. This meant that the smooth shape of his jaw was left on display giving a hint of masculinity to his soft features. A small collar with a silver heart pendant was loosely hung around his long, slender neck drawing out the silver in his shirt. The long sheer gloves that ended at the base of his fingers, coupled with the midnight backless turtleneck, left a small, tantalizing sliver of his defined shoulders visible. Turning around, Lee noticed that the revealed skin of his back (uninterrupted thanks to his up-do) accentuated the delicate curves of his spine and showed off the little dimples just above his buttocks. The light grey jeans he still adorned (being the only article of clothing that Sai had allowed him to keep on) now unobscured by his long sweater, hugged the faint curve of his hips and long shapely legs emphasizing the plush roundness of his behind. The glossy pink that had been added to his lips tied the whole look together, drawing attention to his small, plump mouth in a subtle drag.

"It just needs one more thing," Sai interrupted as he handed Lee a pair of black, lightly heeled ankle boots. "Just tuck your jeans into that and your set."

Putting the shoes on hurriedly, Lee didn't even try to stop the enormous grin that broke across his face. _I have never felt this way before_ , he reflected as he studied his appearance once more. _I actually feel….beautiful_. Delight bubbled in Lee's chest, threatening to erupt into thousands of, butterflies at this new, wonderful feeling. Without warning, Lee burst into a fit of ecstatic giggles as he spun around in a quick happy circle. Without pause, he turned and flung himself at the person that had made him feel so many wonderful feelings in such a short period of time.

"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" Lee continually chanted as he embraced his new friend in a tight hug, bouncing up and down in his joy. "You do not know just how much this means to me, to feel so content in my appearance... so, so… _confident_!"

Enveloping Lee in his own arms, Sai returned his impromptu hug halting his previous movements. Lifting the slender teen off the ground, he spun them around as a new session of melodious giggles trickled from Lee's still smiling mouth . "Anytime Lee, everyone deserves to feel good about themselves."

Lowering the dark eyed male to the floor, Lee and Sai shared a brief moment of silence, hands clasped together in a sign of their newly formed closeness.

"Although I have not known you for long, I find that I am most pleased to have met you" Lee freely admitted, uncaring of the fastness of his affinity towards his coworker.

"…..Curiously enough, I find myself in a similar position," Sai likewise confessed, a flash of contemplation crossing his face. "Actually," he added in an offhanded tone, "I think you must be the first friend I have had that i've actually wanted to be friends with in return."

Lee gawked at his companion, eyebrows pulled in disbelief. "Certainly that can not be the case, you and Gai are most amiable!"

"That's different," Sai waved off uncaring, his usual impassive face making it hard to decipher just what he had meant. "We should probably get to work though, Kakashi'll be starting his slackers run just about now and Shikamaru can only hide for so long. You ready to officially start your first shift?"

"Yosh!" Lee cheered, fists clenched in excitement. "I will try my hardest to be the best server that Paradise has ever seen!"

* * *

Side note: This was supposed to be a Gaara/Lee fic... but I have accepted that I have this thing where I just want everyone to love Lee, be it in a friendship kind of way or I "i'm going to tap that so hard" kind of way. Ya feel? No? Okay, it's just me...

GaaLee will probably still be the end game but in the meantime expect _A looooot_ of everyone throwing themselves at Lee.

Comments and Reviews are most welcome but aren't a necessity!


	6. Like Old Times

Nothing belongs to me other than this shitty story.

Ha, I told you the updates would be irregular (even though I probably would have been writing non-stop if I didn't work every fucking day but let's just pretend that i'm not that pathetic alright?).

* * *

A warm late summer's breeze gently teased at Lee's free flowing strands of dark hair as he focused heavy lidded eyes on the crystal azure sky. Humming softly under his breath, he lazily tracked the smooth progression of the large fluffy clouds marring the otherwise endless blue. Releasing a content breath, Lee closed his eyes snuggling further into the shoulder he had been previously leaning on. A gentle smile graced his serene face and he felt the warmth of the sun kiss his lightly tanned skin. _What a truly beautiful day this has turned out to be_ , his relaxed mind carelessly conjured. The students of Konaha high were currently on their lunch, having been given an extended break due to a meeting currently being held by the faculty. The small group of friends had decided to embrace this extra time by eating lunch on the school's roof where they could enjoy the mild weather leftover from the just passed summer.

Large obsidian orbs opened slightly when a pair of hands gripped his own, halting the fingers that had been carding through the crimson locks of hair on the head that rested on his lap. Looking down, Lee met Gaara's cerulean gaze as the other sat up slightly, pulling the hands he had in his grasp over his shoulders to rest on his solid chest in a sort of half hug.

"You look happy," Gaara's dark baritone rippled through the comfortable atmosphere.

Slightly confused by the declaration, Lee's eyebrows drew together uncertainly. "I am always happy Gaara, I do not understand what it is that you mean," he answered honestly.

"Your smile, it feels different," was the even more vague response.

"But…..Is this not how I always smile?" Lee asked, his face reflecting how puzzled he felt.

"No, this is the real version, not the usual half truth you have on display." Gaara easily explained, displaying his extremely perceptive nature (something that still caught Lee off guard despite their years of friendship). "This," he concluded, bringing his hand up to gently touch Lee's soft mouth, "comes from a you that is at peace which makes it much more beautiful."

An uncontrollable wave of affection surged through Lee at the blunt, yet genuine words from the typically hardhearted male, a light flush spreading across his already heated cheeks. Bringing the rest of his body forward, Lee tightened his grip around Gaara's neck in a heartfelt embrace.

"It warms me that you know me so well my friend," Lee whispered into Gaara's neck, feeling that his usual volume would shatter the moment. "I never meant to show insincere smiles but I only recently understood how much my past still clung to my present, altering my own perceptions. Can you forgive me?"

"Can you forgive yourself?" Gaara countered in an equally soft hush, effortlessly hitting the real issue on it's head.

"I…..I think I have already begun." Lee confessed, voice so quiet the words barely passed his lips.

"Then it is forgiven," came the deeply rumbled resolution.

After a couple of moments of the two hugging comfortably, Lee released Gaara from his hold. Sitting back up, he returned to his earlier sprawl, settling his head back against Neji's shoulder which he had ("Just this one time Lee, don't get used to it!") generously allowed him to rest upon. Just as he head gotten comfortable again, eyes closed in blissful relaxation, Lee abruptly felt a sharp pain as his cheeks were roughly pinched.

"What's with these freaky smiles Bushy Brows? They're really starting to creep me out, I mean you just keep smiling for no reason!" Naruto complained as he pulled Lee's cheeks.

"Nawruhoh hah huwrhs, eashe shawh" Lee managed through his stretched mouth.

"Huh, whah….? Oh!, heh sorry abou-" but before he could finish, Neji's hand shot out with lightning precision and connected unforgivingly with Naruto's face, forcing the hold on Lee's cheeks to be relinquished as the blonde went flying backwards.

Tenten and Hinata, who had been talking amongst themselves for most of the lunch, abruptly turned at the loud thud of Naruto's back violently hitting the paved roof. Even Sasuke, who had been listening to his music a bit further away, removed one of his headphones to better watch what new events were unfolding. There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch as the six friends made eye contact above the collapsed body of their seventh companion.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR YOU PALE EYED BASTARD!?" Naruto screeched, rolling on to his front as he clutched his aching back.

Said paled eyed culprit, who was still casually resting against the roof's entrance, lifted his chin in annoyance, looking down at the prone figure of the flaxen male. Tsking derisively, he rolled his eyes and huffed out an exasperated sigh.

"Better it was me than him," he replied, deep voice calm despite his irritation, jerking his head to indicate the reclining male in Lee's lap.

Directing his glare to where Neji had indicated, Naruto's confusion at the brunette's explanation vanished immediately: the sight that greeted him was Gaara's left leg raised in preparation to kick whatever so crossed it's path.

"WHY YOU TOO?!" Naruto hollered while pointing an accusing finger at Gaara's neutral expression.

"You were hurting Lee, I didn't like it." was the straightforward response.

"But, but, bUT I-" he was once again cut off as a pair of chopsticks that Tenten had chucked hit the back of Naruto's head.

"Oh shut up, I for one think Lee smiling more can only be a good thing." The girl with twin buns atop her head stated sunnily.

"I never said it was a **BAD** thing!" the blue eyed male quickly defended, bitter at the treatment he was receiving. "BB smiling is always great, but like, he keeps on doing it at the weirdest times! Like this morning he was totally late but even when Iruka ripped him a new one he just had this super calm smile on his face! It was freaky to see Lee, you know -Mr. "I take every piece of discipline so seriously that I almost cry when I do something wrong"- Lee just being so, so, so **NOT** Lee!"

"Maybe he's just having a good day idiot," Sasuke interjected, moving to join the rest of the group. "ever think of that, or are you really just that slow?"

"SHUT UP YOU SPIKY HAIRED PIECE OF SHIT, I SWEAR I'M GOING T-"

"STOP IT!" Lee yelled unexpectedly causing everyone to freeze and focus on him. "Er….that is," he fidgeted, growing uncomfortable with the sudden attention, "could you please stop arguing?"

"L-lee is right, we really s-shouldn't fight," Hinata stuttered out, soft voicing faltering at the end. "…um, why d-doesn't he just tell us why he's b-been smiling so much?" she suggested shyly, head tilted so her straight purple bangs covered her face.

"Good idea Hina," Tenten agreed patting the other's back making the violet eyed girl beside her blush faintly. "So what exactly has made you so happy?"

"Weeeelll," Lee drew out trying to gather just what he could openly share about the previous night. _I hate to deceive my friends in this manner but I can not tell them the full truth….at least not yet._

"Wait, that's right!" Tenten exclaimed hitting her fist to her opened palm. "I almost forgot that you had you're first shift yesterday. How was it!?"

Briefly holding his breath, Lee decided that the best way to not exactly lie was to just go on about all the great things that had happened (which wasn't hard) and hope they didn't ask too many questions.

"It was wonderful, everyone there is so kind, even the owners! You would think that they would be stuffy and unapproachable owning a business and all, but they most definitely are not! Oh, and I have already made a new lifelong friend! He is also very nice and an extremely talented server and he helped me throughout my shift making sure that nothing went wrong. He also walked me home because it was much darker out than what I had thought it would be when I got off and we talked the whole way back!" Lee ranted, hardly taking a breath between his long sentences.

"I thought you worked at some sort of restaurant, why did you get out so late?" Tenten questioned, concerned at Lee being out at night especially in the neighbourhood he lived in.

"Ah, well that was because there was a special event going on which we had to stay open for," Lee hastily supplied. I _am not being that untruthful_ , he tried to convince himself, _a themed night is almost like a special event_. "Did you know there are these wonderful things called tips were people leave you money for being an exceptional worker! ?I did not know until Sai, that is my coworker friend, told me that I could keep the money that the costumers I had been serving left on the table!"

"Wait, Lee I stil-" It was Naruto's turn to interrupt as he cut Tenten off mid sentence.

"WOAH THAT'S FREAKIN AWESOME! How much did you make in tips!?"

"I made four hundred last night," Lee said proudly, beaming at his accomplishment. When Sai had told him it was an impressive pull for a first timer he had felt beyond excited at his accomplishment. Even Kakashi had uttered a low whistle when he had seen his haul.

"F-f-f-four hundred!" Tenten wheezed, grasping at her chest in shock.

"Way to go BB, you'll be rich in no time!" Naruto cheered, raising his hand to high-five Lee.

"Thank you Naruto-kun, but I do not think that it would be possible for me to become rich from tips alone," Lee laughed, bringing his hand up to return the gesture.

The others started asking various question in return, like how much he was paid and what kind of hours he was going to work while Tenten sat frozen, stare fixed on the raven haired male.

After recovering from her surprise,Tenten opened her mouth prepared to halt the other's questions so she could call Lee out on his abrupt change of topic, but stopped before she could utter a sound. As she looked at Lee recalling more stories of his first shift and answering every little question asked, she decided that Lee would never be less than honest unless it was something he himself didn't know how to explain. However, she also knew that he would tell her everything when he felt the time was right and so she would wait until whenever Lee was ready.

"I'm glad you had such an awesome first night, do you work again today?" Tenten asked instead.

"Not tonight, no. I do work the next couple of days however," Lee answered, thankful that Tenten had dropped her previous inquiry.

"Perfect, that means that you can come to my house tonight for a sleepover!" She chirped, clapping her hands happily. "Everyone else already agreed, but we were waiting to see if you could make it. That means it will be the whole gang for the first time in a long while!"

"Yosh, that is an excellent idea Tenten, I look forward to spending more time with all of my most precious friends!" Lee excitedly agreed, overjoyed to be able to finally see his friends outside of school.

It really had been an overly long time since they had all gotten together this way. When Lee had moved out from the orphanage his nights had instantly been consumed by job hunting while his weekends had turned into volunteering at the Church until he finally convinced Mother Tsunade to cut it back to once a month so he could keep his a availability open for work. After that his weekends had become the same as his weekdays: homework and trying to get hired. He had felt horrible for constantly brushing off their group plans in favour of spending hours upon hours being continually rejected (his heart ached too at having to spend time being looked down upon when he could be with people that actually believed him to be worth something).

Regardless of his busy schedule, his amazing friends had understood his plight and found little ways to make sure he felt included no matter how few their interactions were. They would take turns walking him home and picking him up in the mornings or, if the job hunt had been particularly bad, they would bring him dinner and stay and do homework together. Now though, Lee had a (hopefully) steady job with set hours (every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and alternating Saturdays) so he no longer had the wall of consuming guilt over spending more money that wasn't his keeping him from spending his free time as he so desired: being with the people he loved most.

A pleasant chime rang through the air signalling the end of the elongated lunch hour. The small group of friends packed up their belongings and made their way down the flight of stairs leading back into the school. As they rounded the corner, lightly chattering amongst themselves, they broke off into pairs, each heading to their respective classes.

"Remember guys," Tenten began before the retreating figures could make it too far, "my house after school and don't forget your P.J's, yes that means you Naruto."

"Oh it was ONE time can't you just let it-"

"Okay bye guys, see you then!" She waved cheerfully, grabbing Hinata's hand as she rushed down the hall before Naruto could finish his rant.

"OI, LET ME FINI-"

"Let's go Lee, If you're late again I just know i'm going to be blamed," Neji said in an annoyed tone, though his gentle grip on Lee's arm suggested otherwise.

Lee turned in Neji's grasp to see that Gaara had already gone ahead ignoring the, what he surely deemed "unnecessary", conversation going on behind him.

"Goodbye Naruto and Sasuke-kun, we will see you tonight!" Lee called back to the adoptive brothers as Neji pulled him around the corner.

Lee felt a grin form on his face as he heard a faint yell of "WHY DOES NO ONE LISTEN TO ME!" before they entered the classroom.

Sitting in his desk waiting for the last period to begin, Lee could hardly keep his eyes of the clock, counting down the time before school would be out. He just knew tonight was going to be amazing.

* * *

This felt kind of rushed and awkward to me but it had to be done to progress the story.

Eh, it'll do.

Thank you once again for another fantastic comment, it really resonated with my trashy heart that above all else desires Lee to be loved by all.


	7. Surprise! Part I

And so I return with more filler (it feels like filler but trust me, it is important!)

I own nothing but the shit below.

* * *

Lee had waved Neji's offer to walk him home off at the school gates, promising that he would just be heading back to quickly pack then meet them at Tenten's. Walking at a fast pace (which most would consider a sprint but Lee had always been faster than average) Lee couldn't keep the joy from radiating off his soft face, still excited at the prospect of seeing his friends outside of school.

Bounding up the worn, rusted stairs that lead to the back entrance of his apartment complex, Lee fished out his keys unlocking the faded green door of his small home. Tossing his plain black messenger bag onto his mattress, Lee quickly removed his school uniform, hanging it alongside the meagre collection of clothes in his "closet". Pulling on his his worn black skinny jeans, Lee reached back blindly for the first article of clothing he could grab. When his hand collided with the soft material of his green sweater he felt himself pause in his rush. Bringing the material to his front Lee looked down at his old sweater fondly, recalling the events of the night before.

~~~*flashback*~~~ ~~~*flashback*~~~

After Sai and Lee had emerged from the back room, Gai, whom had been talking with Kakashi at the front of the club, quite literally stopped mid-sentence when he spotted his newest employee and immediately bound over to the unsuspecting pair. Lee had felt the air rush out of his lungs in one loud "oomph" as he was unceremoniously scooped from the ground and into Gai's muscular arms.

"LEE, YOU LOOK MORE DAZZLING THAN A THOUSAND STARS MY LITTLE LOTUS!" Gai's deep voice boomed jovially. "SAI I JUST KNEW YOU WOULD BE PERFECT FOR THIS TASK!"

"Of course, I did have some great material to work with. Now if you could just put our Lee down so that I can 'show him the ropes' like you wanted, that would be even better," Sai replied, fake smile in place as he held out his arms to Gai.

"Oh yes, how rude of me I was just so overjoyed to see Lee looking so wonderfully adorable that I just had to embrace him," Gai laughed as he placed Lee into Sai's awaiting arms.

"Thank you so much Gai for allowing me to borrow this amazing outfit! I have never felt this confident in my life!" Lee beamed at the man who had already given him so much in such a short amount of time. _You do not know just how much this really means to me,_ he silently added.

"Think nothing of it my youthful friend," Gai winked at Lee and gave a thumbs up. "You are a wonderful young man with a great future ahead of you so you should always feel confident in yourself because all of us at Paradise already believe that you will be exceptional!"

"T-T-THANK YOU GAI," Lee shouted, deeply moved by Gai's sincere belief in him, as he bowed repeatedly.

Sensing Lee's emotions were running rampant in the strong but fragile male, Sai put a comforting hand on his slightly shaking shoulder. "Are you ready to start our lesson?" Sai's smooth voice questioned as he gave the shoulder under his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"YOSH, I will show exactly that I am more than capable of succeeding or I will personally clean the whole club for the next month!" Lee challenged, motivating himself to do the absolute best that he could do. _I will prove my worth to them and make sure I do not betray their bountiful faith in me,_ Lee resolved internally.

The rest of the night had gone off without so much as a spilt drop of alcohol: Lee had shown himself to be an extremely talented server. Taking orders had been a breeze to the obsidian eyed male. After having memorized countless hymns and prayers at Saint Kage's, recalling simple drink orders was nothing. This had slightly shocked Sai when he handed Lee a small pad of paper and pen to have the silky haired male ask, head tilted in confusion, if he was not supposed to memorize the orders. A quick breathy laugh escaped Sai unexpectedly, taking the two off guard as he assured Lee that that was the exact opposite of an issue. Lee was also surprising strong for his deceiving build; behind his thin, delicate looking body was a strength on par with the likes of the muscular Gai. He could easily lift the larger drink order over his head as he skillfully maneuvered through the large crowds.

On top of his psychical prowess Lee displayed in the new job, having always been a people person naturally allowed for Lee to connect with the guests and make their experiences that much better. Regardless of the ridicule he had faced at the orphanage, he loved talking and listening to anyone that was willing and easily managed to initiate conversations with his customers. His bright, bubbly personality along with his quick smiles and warm, open face, were well met by the people he served. Never before had he received so many compliments in his life, and not the kinds he had been worried this kind of establishment would offer (even though he had doubted that he would receive any of them being —well himself). He had been told that his serving was extraordinary and his manners were exemplary; More amazingly, some had even told him "you have a lovely smile" and "You are so adorable, Gai really knows how to pick them".

In a humorous incident near closing, Lee had even been proposed to by a heavily intoxicated man as he helped Sai to lead him out of the bar and into an awaiting taxi. Kakashi —stoic, straight faced Kakashi —had laughed so hard at Lee's initially frozen face of shock which quickly morphed to a sputtering crimson face of embarrassment that Gai, whom had been in his office, came to the font to see what had caused such an uproar. Needless to say, Lee had politely refused and Gai had taken over escorting the man out while Kakashi had collapsed to the ground as he continued to convulse with silent laughter.

By the end of the night Lee's confidence had skyrocketed to levels he'd never achieved in his life. He had felt such an all encompassing sense of belonging, that he had been a bit dizzy from it. Paradise and his new job just felt so right, the very core of his being resonated with the perfection of it all. They had parted ways at the front as Gai locked up, congratulating Lee on his stellar first night. Sai had offered to walk him home and Lee had eagerly accepted. The two easily slipped into comfortable chatter, getting to know the other more as they made their way to Lee's apartment.

Saying his goodbyes to Sai, Lee entered his small room and instantly collapsed on his bed. He hadn't realized just how tired he had been and wanted nothing more than to wiggle under his blankets and sleep until school tomorrow, but he had to finish the homework he had neglected to do. After an hour or so, Lee groggily put his books back into his school bag and changed into his pyjamas. Resting his head on his pillow, Lee blindly reached out of his blanket cocoon to set the alarm on his small clock. Moving into a more comfortable position, a faint smile formed on Lee's lips as he slowly shut his eyes and drifted off into slumber.

Snapping out of his recollections, Lee hastily shoved the sweater over his head and threw a change of clothes and his pjs into the backpack he had grabbed from the foot of his bed. _Now is not the time to be lost in memories,_ he lightly scolded himself, _my friends are waiting for me._ Grabbing one of the multiple elastics stored in his bedside table drawer, Lee bound his hair in a loose, messy bun atop his head and pulled his scuffed runners on his sock clad feet. Slinging his backpack over one shoulder, he grabbed the toothbrush sitting in the cup beside his sink and put it in the front pocket. Reassured, after a quick scan of his room, that he had everything he needed, Lee switched of the lone light in the room and locked his door with a faint click.

Heading back down the old stairs, Lee made a sharp left down the small alleyway between his apartment and the inexpensive diner that resided beside the complex. Sprinting down the secluded lane that opened up to the larger city streets, Lee made a second left towards Tenten's house.

While Naruto, by some twist of fate, had been adopted into an extremely wealthy family full of monetary luxury, Tenten had been brought into a family, though not nearly as well off, filled with love and familial comforts. The generously sized house she lived in was located in one of the friendliest neighbourhoods of Konoha, where each home looked comfortably kept and well lived it. Every time Lee found himself entering the neighbourhood on his way to Tenten's he experienced a slight ache in his chest. The part of him that still hopelessly longed for a family, almost like an old wound that still festered from a prolonged infection, would bleed and twinge at the perpetually green grass covered in toys and the scent of home cooked meals permeating the air. Although throughout the years the ache had lessened, his friends filling his heart with love and affection reminding him that he wasn't alone, it still clung to Lee like a phantom pain mocking him with the reality of what he had never really had.

Today, however, as he jogged up the familiar hill into the warm expanse of Tenten's neighbourhood, his steps didn't falter and the smile on his face only grew. Things had been going so well for Lee that many of his insecurities and regrets of the past seemed to diminish in their severity, relinquishing the sway they held on his heart. He would always long for a family and fear being rejected by the people he cared for, but the sting of those truths didn't seem to spread as far or burn for nearly as long as they once did.

Skipping up the small flight of stairs leading to Tenten's house, Lee knocked on the pristine white door, shifting from foot to foot unable to contain his excited at being with his friends once again. The door swung open to reveal just the girl Lee had been expecting, her face reflecting the smile on his own.

"Took you long enough, I thought you'd bailed on us last minute or something!" Tenten teased, hitting her closed fist lightly to Lee's forehead.

"I am very sorry for that, but today just seems to be a day of lateness on my part," Lee joked, pulling the shorter girl into a warm hug. "It is so good to be here after so long, I have missed you all greatly!"

"Same here you big dummy," Tenten squeezed back. "Well let's not just stand here like idiots, come in, come in." Pulling Lee into the entry way, he struggled to get his shoes off as Tenten continued to drag Lee further into the house.

"Mom had a meeting out of town so Dad decided to go with her and take a small vacation while they were there, so it's just been me this whole week and it's been getting kind of unbearable on my own so i'm glad you guys'll be here tonight at least," The brunette explained as she hurriedly pushed Lee up the stairs and towards her bedroom.

Opening the bedroom door Lee, expecting the rest of their friends to be already well into their various conversations, was instead met with silence and an empty room. Tenten's large bed was pushed to the far right of the room while her computer desk and bookshelves remained on the other side, leaving a spacious chunk of floor littered with pillows and a soft carpet to sit on: the perfect location for their small group. However, the only occupants of the room were Tenten and himself, something that surprised the thin male.

"Was I the first to arrive? I thought for sure the others would have made it before me," Lee mused as he sat on Tenten's soft mattress.

Pulling a large stuffed bear into her arms, Tenten sat across from Lee on one of the numerous pillows on the floor. "Ah, everyone texted me earlier saying they were going to buy some snacks before they came," She explained waving away Lee's uncertainty.

As the two chatted for awhile, a large thump from downstairs had Lee jumping at the sudden noise. "What was that?" He asked, startled at the loud sound.

"It's probably just some of the neighbourhood kids throwing rocks at the houses again," Tenten quickly cut in, gritting her teeth in a grimace that smoothed back into a neutral expression almost as fast as it had formed.

"But…was that not a bit too loud for such an action?" Lee, although believing his friend, was doubtful that such a small thing had caused such a large noise. "Perhaps something fell downstairs, should we go check?"

"NO," Tenten half shouted, her tone going up an octave at the end. "I mean it's fine Lee don't worry about it, even if something fell it's **definitely** not that important." The brown eyed girl assured, eye twitching slightly.

While he was still perplexed at his friends odd behaviour, Lee let the subject drop turning back to lighthearted conversation. Fifteen minutes had passed when Tenten's phone pinged causing her to abruptly stand. "The other's are here, come on Lee let's go great them!"

Instantly agreeing, Lee followed Tenten back down the stairs and towards the door when a gentle hand halted his movements.

"Oh my gosh, I almost forgot, Lee can you run and grab the cookies from the oven. I was baking them before you came but it totally slipped my mind!" Tenten urgently asked.

Fearing that they had began to burn, Lee shouted an affirmative response, quickly turning tail and running to the back of the house were the large, clean kitchen was located. Pulling the thankfully undamaged batch of desserts from the oven and turning off the heat, he headed back to the entrance hall to join the rest of his friends.

"You remembered just in time my dear friend, the cookies are perfectly done and not a single one burnt!" Lee called out as he rounded the corner leading back into the hall he started in.

Finding no-one there, Lee climbed the stairs back to Tenten's room thinking they had been ushered to their usual hangout. However, as he stepped into the room, he found it just as unoccupied as before. _Where have they gone,_ Lee wondered internally, _perhaps the living room?_

Walking down the stairs once more, Lee listened for any sounds that would indicate where his group of friends had disappeared to, but all that met his ears was silence. Poking his head into the living room, which was equally as empty as upstairs, Lee furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, a slight pout forming on his face. _Did they step outside without telling me,_ he questioned. Ready to turn and leave to see if they had left the house, Lee instead jolted backwards as his friends jumped up from behind various furniture.

"HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!" they shouted, Naruto and Tenten being the loudest.

"…..w-what?" was Lee's lacklustre reply, his brain not quite processing what had just happened.

"It's a surprise party dumba—AUGH!" Naruto's shout transformed into a painful groan as Tenten smacked him over the head.

"We felt bad for not having time to actually celebrate on your birthday so we wanted to do something special when everyone was free." She explained cheerfully as Lee stood frozen in the doorway.

"I…..I do not….I-I have never had a….a birthday party before," Lee stammered, overcome with so many different emotions, the strongest being fondness for his friends.

"Well now you have and it's going to awesome!" Naruto effortlessly informed, grin splitting his bright face proudly.

"I….Thank you, I can not help but agree with you completely Naruto-kun!" Unshed tears glistened in Lee's eyes as he too smiled broadly, looking at all of his companions.

"Hey, what are friends for?" Tenten playfully smirked keeping the atmosphere lighthearted, "that's not all, we have something for you as well!"

At Tenten's words, Hinata grabbed Lee's hand and led him to sit on the comfy cream coach, the others gathering around. Neji revealed a small, brightly wrapped package he had hidden behind his back, placing the unknown object into Lee's hands. He looked at the pastel pink paper covered in hearts and the exuberant white bow on the top of the parcel and almost didn't want to wreck such lovely work. Pealing back the tape delicately, Lee gently removed the box he inside, placing the wrappings to his left. What he saw when he turned the item over in his hands made his already large eye widen and his mouth part in disbelief. His friends had purchased him a cellphone —a very new, _very_ expensive, and from what the box indicated, mint green phone.

"This is too much my friends!" Lee began to panic, frantically looking into everyone's eyes. "You can not possibly give me something so expensive! I really, really, **really,** do not deserve this much!"

"Well we aren't taking it back, so do with it as you please but not using it is essentially wasting our money." Neji apprised in a straightforward manner, causing Tenten and Naruto to shoot him a twin set of glares.

"He's right, we aren't returning it since it is our gift to you, so either use it or don't," Sasuke agreed, voice cold and firm. "We got it because it was something we wished for you to have not so you could give it back to us."

While the others (namely Tenten and Naruto, though Hinata looked just as putout) seemed to be silently trying to smite the two cold men where they stood with their anger alone, Lee looked back at the gift in his hands. The harsh words, surprisingly, had been just want the tanned male had needed to hear. Lee felt relief wash over him; _They are giving me this gift because they want to, not because they feel they have to._

"You are right, I shall make the most out this wonderful gift and not let you're lovely act of friendship go to waste!" Lee nodded his head seriously but broke out into a smile seconds later.

"W-we thought a c-cellphone would be best," Hinata piped up after the little upset had been resolved. "T-that way w-we can now when you get home a-and that you are s-safe."

"That is very sweet of you, I did not know that my late arrival home worried you so much," Lee honestly replied. "I will be sure to message you all the moment I get home from now on…after I get a plan for my phone, that is."

"That has been taken care of," replied Gaara's deep baritone. "seeing as my father never really checks our phone statements, I merely added you into our plan."

"Gaara, your father will not be pleased when he finds out," Lee scolded, worried for his friend.

" ** _If_** he finds out, which he won't," the redhead insisted giving Lee a stern glare challenging him to disagree.

"Alright, you win this time Gaara but if he founds out I will be paying you back," Lee promised.

"Not unless I pay it myself," the other muttered lowly utter his breath, crossing his arms defiantly.

"Enough bickering, let's get this party started!" Naruto interrupted, reminding everyone why they were here in the first place.

"I can't believe i'm saying this but Naruto's right, let's get back to celebrating and having fun!" Tenten agreed as she ushered everyone into the kitchen. "First we'll have some food and cake, but after that the real fun will begin!" she cackled, making the others wince worriedly at just what the tomboy had in store for them. It was going to be a long night, that was for sure.

* * *

This was waaaaaaaay longer than what I initially thought it was going to be. I guess I just couldn't find a good spot to stop it at.

Thanks again for the lovely reviews and the people who have decided to follow this gross story, it makes me happy to see!


	8. Surprise! Part II

Now you see that I am living up to my promise of irregular updates, I am both sorry and satisfied at how well I know myself.

As always, I do not own anything but my incredibly awful words.

* * *

Lee groggily opened his eyes when he felt a sudden tug on his middle. Blinking away the remaining sleep, the slender male made to roll onto his back but was stopped by pale arms thrown across his waist. _Wait….arms?_ Lee's overly tired brain tried to piece together. _What am I lying on, it is much more firm than the pillow I was using last night._ Rubbing his eyes with a balled up fist, the dark haired youth sluggishly took in his surroundings. When his sleepy brain finally caught up with the images he was seeing, Lee realized that the warm surface he was practically lying on top of was none other than Gaara.

Blushing furiously, Lee looked up expecting to find himself face to face with the piercing blue eyes of the other. To his surprise (and slight relief) Gaara was in a seemingly deep slumber, arm slung over Lee in a rather tight embrace. Lee couldn't help but smile softly at his friends sleeping face, happy that his insomnia had not acted up. As he silently studied the smooth, relaxed visage of the generally cold looking male, he felt another gently tug on his waist. Turning his head to look over his right shoulder, Lee took in the sleeping face of Neji whom had, at some point in the night, plastered himself to Lee's back, arm thrown just below the redheads in an equally secure hold.

Not wanting to disturb his still resting friends, Lee relaxed into the warmth the two were radiating, allowing his mind to drift. _How did we end up like this,_ Lee idly wondered. _I am most certain that we were all spaced apart last night_. His eyes began to drift closed, heavy lids almost obscuring obsidian orbs, as he fondly recalled the events from the night before. A soft smile graced his delicate features as he reflected on the memories he would surely cherish for the rest of his life. While the night had been just as chaotic as could be expected whenever the small group got together, they had also deepened their bonds of friendship to new, and (in some cases) unexpected levels. _And to think, it is all thanks to Tenten's unconventional scheming,_ Lee mused.

~~~*flashback*~~~ ~~~*flashback*~~~

After they sat down and ate a rather large meal of pizza, cake and various other junk foods, they had played a couple of games and watched some movies, enjoying the company of their small makeshift family. Once the second film had finished, Tenten had turned on the lights and popped the dvd back into its case.

"So, is anyone up for another one?" the teen asked as she slid the movie back into it's spot amongst the impressive collection lining the shelf beside the large tv. "I mean, it is pretty late but we do have the day off from school tomorrow thanks to the teacher's training day."

"Do we have to?" Naruto whined, blonde head lazily slumped against Sasuke's shoulder. "This is getting boring, I want to do something fun!"

"The idiot has a point, something else would be a good change of pace," Sasuke agreed pushing his adoptive brother's head from it's perch.

"Well what do you want to do Lee seeing as it's technically your party?" Tenten asked turning her attention to the thin male who had been lying across the four friends on the couch, head propped on the sofa's arm.

"I am more than fine with whatever it is that everyone decides on," He added unhelpfully. He honestly had no strong preference either way, preferring to do what would make his friends happy.

"What a great suggestion Lee, thank you so much for the insight you have provided in solving this dilemma," Neji scoffed sarcastically, lightly pinching Lee's cheek.

"I don't hear you suggesting anything better Neji," the brunette girl accused, shooting him an unimpressed look.

"Hmm.." the pale eyed male dismissed as he relaxed his fingers from their hold on the smooth tan skin. Ruffling Lee's black bangs, Neji brought his hand back down to rest on the green clad shoulder.

"OH, I KNOW!" Naruto's loud voice cut in. "We should totally go out and prank some of your neighbours!"

"Naruto-kun that is most unbecoming of a fine youth such as yourself!" Lee scolded scandalized at his friends suggestion.

"But BB~ it will be hilarious, just think of how many people we can freak out!" the bright eyed boy persuaded, large grin plastered on his face.

"Absolutely not you little punk! I forbid you from doing anything like that in **_my_** neighbourhood!" Tenten intervened putting a halt to that train of thought. "Since none of you are giving me anything to work with, and no Naruto we will not be working with that suggestion **_at all_** , I'll just have to decide myself."

Tenten crossed her arms in concentration, closing her eyes as she made a soft humming noise. "What to do, what to do….OH! That's it!" She exclaimed suddenly. "We're going to play truth or dare!"

While Naruto jumped up excitedly, eagerly agreeing to the proposed idea, the other occupants of the room were notably less enthusiastic: Lee and Hinata especially.

"I know I said anything, but is this really—" Lee began before Tenten pulled him up, ushering him to the floor so that they could form a circle on the carpet.

"Oh hush, you had the chance to suggest something else but you didn't so you're just going to have to deal," She stated, crushing any hope Lee had of her changing her mind.

Sighing, Lee took his place between Neji and Gaara as Tenten plopped herself between Naruto and Hinata.

"Alright," she clapped drawing everyone's attention. "Everyone has to promise to answer honestly and do whatever it is they are dared to do, no exceptions okay?"

"I object to that, if someone doesn't want to do something they shouldn't be forced," Neji argued, face set stubbornly.

"Fine, then we'll have a chicken system," Tenten easily relented. "Everyone will have three chickens that they can use to opt out of either a truth or a dare, but once they're gone then you have to do it."

"…..fine," The other brunette acquiesced, brushing his hair over his shoulder.

"Now that that's settled, who want to go first?" she asked, a dubious smile on her usually warm face.

"I WILL!" Naruto instantly volunteered. "Alright, Sasuke truth or dare!"

"You are seriously picking me?" the dark blue haired male drawled angrily. "How annoying…..truth."

"Awwww man, you should have picked dare you bastard." The blonde lamented disappointed that he wouldn't be able to make his brother do something embarrassing. Suddenly, an evil grin bloomed on Naruto's face. "Fine, who do you have a crush on?"

"Chicken," was the instantaneous reply, cold voice deadly serious in it's dismissal.

"WHAT!? THAT IS SO UNFA—"

"I believe it's my turn now," Sasuke interrupted, halting Naruto's cries of outrage. Looking around the circle, his sharp black eyes locked with the pale gaze of his friend."Neji, you know how it goes."

"I'll also choose truth," was the even reply.

"Who do you find most attractive in this room?" Sasuke questioned, sly smirk plastered on his face.

"…I refuse to answer that," the other replied, eyes narrowed in irritation.

"This game is going nowhere," Gaara's deep voice smoothly supplied.

"Fine then Gaara, why don't you do that for us?" Neji snipped at the redhead, unimpressed with his remark.

"Very well, I choose dare."

Taken aback by Gaara's compliance, the other didn't respond for a drawn out moment. Frowning at being caught unprepared, Neji hastily asked the first question that came to mind. "I…I dare you to tell us something you have never told us before."

Gaara paused, blinking slowly at the other male. "Temari, Kankurō and I all have different mothers, though none of us see ours anymore since both Temari's and mine are dead and Kankurō's abandoned him. It is something that brought us together as much as it drove our father to try and tear us apart," he answered calmly, nothing in his face or tone hinting at being unsettled at sharing such personal information.

Everyone fell quite at the sudden admission unsure of how to react to the new information. Neji turned his gaze away from the male he had dared, feeling a slight twinge of guilt for bringing up such a sensitive topic.

"Woah… you never told us it was **_that_** bad no-brows," Naruto's usually loud voice whispered.

While all of them had been, at one point or another in their companionship, filled in on the less than ideal family situation that their emotionally stunted friend (which they knew was due to the fact that he had not received any real affection in his life until a tall, crying, coffee skinned boy had upset the very balance of his sombre life) had been subjected to.

Though it had improved remarkably throughout their camaraderie, and the redhead now lived in a rather loving family —or at least what the three rather unaffectionate siblings could muster, there was still a large chunk of gaara's past that remained a mystery. No one had really know just how bad it had been, save for Tenten, Naruto, and Lee especially since he had seen him at his worst. The three, in their long acquaintance, had made their own assumptions based on the information that their friend had never provided, but even they had not been prepared for such a revelation.

"It has not been an issue since before I met Lee, so I never thought it to be relevant on the topic of my family," Gaara shrugged off, immune to the sullen mood of the group.

"While I am relieved to hear that it no longer affects you as strongly as it once did, I agree with Naruto's sentiment. Even if it does not affect you now, as your friends we would like to hear anything that has caused you pain in the past and help you to heal for the future," Lee added, eyes shimmering with concern as he gently gripped Gaara's arm.

"As much as I do not understand that, I …appreciate it and find that I would wish for you all to do the same," the cerulean eyed male admitted, "I will endeavour to be more forthcoming with such things."

"….Well…..that was, er, insightful and i'm glad we aired that out but…maybe we should get back to the game?" Tenten awkwardly fumbled out, trying to alleviate the serious atmosphere that had formed.

With a quick nod of his head, Gaara complied easily. "Naruto, what choice will you make," his deep, firm voice rumbled making the question sound more like a demand.

"Pssh, do you even have to ask that? I choose…..DARE!" the hyper male exclaimed prepared to do anything the other requested.

"I command you to stop talking for the rest of the year."

"WAH!? YOU…..YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Naruto screeched indignantly.

"Now why didn't I think of that…" Sasuke mumbled to himself.

"YOU POINTY HAIRED TRASH PIL—"

"Sorry dumb ass, but a dare is a dare so you better zip it."

"Alright, that's enough," the tomboy interjected, putting a pause to the never ending fight between the two brothers before they really got into it. "Gaara, first off the game is 'truth or dare' not 'I command you' and, secondly, you can't make a dare that lasts longer than the game."

"….I see, then I dare you to cease talking in a loud volume for the remainder of this game," Gaara amended, satisfied with the new suggestion.

"…..!" Naruto silently fought with his knee-jerk reaction to scream at being given such a frustrating task as he rolled around on the floor in anguish. His desire to prove that he could do whatever dare he faced eventually won out as took his seat once again. "Fine, and i'll be the most quite i've ever been in my life, believe it! Okay my turn…..Bushy Brows, truth or dare!?"

Lee, whom had been softly chuckling over Naruto's antics, froze at the question he had been dreading. He really did want to play this game with all of his friends but he was worried about the kinds of question they could ask him.

He still wasn't prepared to open up about his job, mostly because he didn't know how his friends would take it and he knew what other question would arise from that revelation. It was those other questions that worried him the most. He really didn't want his friends to ask about….the other things working at a gay club implied. However, what he feared above all was the reality of those questions being asked and him (unable to be anything but truthful when it came to these people he trusted wholeheartedly) revealing his darkest desires and secrets just to be spurned. Just because he had started to be more accepting of himself and who he was did not mean that others would; _even my wonderful friends_ , his paranoid thoughts provided. He desperately wanted to come clean about his…. ** _romantic inclinations_** , but a life time of being ridiculed and put down for being different made it hard for him to believe that it wouldn't happen again (even though his past at the orphanage was affecting him less everyday thanks to a certain club). He just needed more time to be truly confident and happy with himself before he could be open with his friends.

Clenching the fists in his lap, Lee released a calming breath, stealing himself for what was to come. "I will select dare," he finally uttered, hoping that the other would completely forget about his job in favour of making him do something ridiculous.

To the dark haired male's relief, the other did not disappoint —though "ridiculous" was not quite the right word for what his dare turned out to be. "I dare you to sit in Sasuke's lap for the rest of the night!"

Silence met the words that left the blonde's mouth.

"...Um, only if it is okay with Sasuke-kun," Lee finally said as he looked at the male in question. Being an affectionate person, he did not mind being physically close with his friends; things like hugging, holding hands, and sitting close (what some would consider too close) to whichever person was beside him was second nature to the teenager.

Sasuke, however, was the complete opposite; if Lee was overly clingy, then the navy haired male was completely unresponsive and totally detached. So, not wanting to make his companion uncomfortable, Lee offered him an out.

"….I…I don't….mind," came the soft, almost inaudible return as Sasuke looked to his right, breaking eye contact with the dark orbs.

"If you are sure, then how can I refuse Naruto's dare!" Lee chirped happily, pleased that he would get to be closer with the often aloof male.

Moving from his spot, Lee watched Sasuke glare menacingly at the hysterically laughing blonde as he made his way across the small circle. Stopping in front of the other, Lee gave his friend one more questioning look, silently asking if he was truly okay with what was about to occur. A quick nod of Sasuke's head as he once again looked away from the tall teen was enough to quell any remaining hesitations. However, what Lee missed, as he gently lowered himself onto the crossed legs of the dark eyed male, were the glares being directed to the man just behind him.

"If I am too heavy please just let me know, I do not want to crush you!" Lee added as he sunk down onto the firm body beneath him.

"…..I don't think you weigh enough to even bruise me, let alone crush me," Sasuke huffed causing some of Lee's dark strands to be blown out of place.

Lee felt a small smile light up his face as Sasuke casually wrapped his arms around Lee's waist, hugging him loosely from behind. _So even Sasuke-kun can be affectionate_ , he concluded as he rested more fully on the strong chest. "Tenten, since it is my turn I would like for you to choose either truth or dare," Lee asked in his soft voice.

"If even **_you_** can do a dare, then I guess I have to choose dare as well," she sighed in mock exasperation.

"That's the spirit Tenten, such a fiery will!" Lee laughed, delighted at his friends headstrong nature. Thinking quickly, he made a split-second decision to push the brunette's boundaries with a dare he knew she would be expecting. "I dare you to kiss the cheek of the person you have a crush on!"

All eyes turned to the tomboy as she flushed a deep crimson, her own gaze drifting from Lee to the hands she was wringing above her folded legs. Naruto gavea slight nudge of encouragement from beside her, urging her to go along with the dare. Both Naruto and Lee had known of Tenten's long standing crush and her desperation to confess as of late, but due to her own latent shyness she had fumbled every opportunity. Lee had hoped that his dare would put their friend in a situation in which her need to stick to her word override her own fears.

Releasing a breath that no one had realized she had been holding, Tenten looked towards her two long standing friends, determination shining in her eyes, as she gave them a reassuring nod. Leaning forward on her hands, Tenten moved forward and kissed an extremely surprised Neji on the cheek before quickly sitting back down.

Both Naruto and Lee broke into high pitched squeals of delight while various degrees of shock passed across the faces of their other friends.

"Okay, calm down it's really not that big a deal," Tenten said, despite the contradicting blush that had begun to encompass her whole face, as she rolled her eyes. Quickly trying to draw attention away from what had just occurred, the slender female turned towards her perpetually quiet companion. "Hinata, come on, truth or dare?"

"Oh…..u-um, truth…p-please?" The violet haired girl stuttered, voice ending high to make the answer more of a question.

"Is it true that you and Kiba dated all last year?" She smirked at the innocent looking girl.

"YOU DID WHAT?!," Neji's generally calm voice belted, disbelief replacing surprise as his head whipped in the direction of his cousin.

"….h-how….did…you k-know?" was the meek reply as Hinata's face took a turn at being bright red.

The rest of the night proceeded in much the same fashion after Hinata's confession, each member taking turns asking each other more and more personal things (maybe a bit too personal if Tenten beating Naruto with a pillow after he asked if her boobs had even grown since middle school was anything to go by). By the time everyone was too sleepy (and out of chickens) to even keep their eyes open everyone had felt closer, their friendship even stronger. They had decided to sleep in the living room as a group, too lazy to arrange anything more elaborate than the five minutes it took to drag blankets and pillows into the large area. Saying their goodnight, the friends snuggled down together for a well deserved rest.

 _I am very glad that I finally got to spend time with everyone again,_ Lee smiled gratefully as he surfaced from his memories. _Now if only Gaara and Neji would wake up…I really need to use the restroom and their arms are not making that any easier._

* * *

So this definitely felt like a cop-out chapter to me but i've always wanted to right a gross ass truth or dare fic so fucking fight me okay.

On another note, to those people that have commented, followed and even faved (what the fuck guys?) on this trash pile... all I can say is thank you. Like holy shit, the stuff you are saying is like you've reached into my soul and pulled out all of my guilty Lee filled desires? Lee is a precious baby and I have a major weakness for everyone loving and cherishing the literal fuck out of him. So you can expect more of that for sure because, let's face it, i'm probably going to keep up the whole "every guy secretly wants a piece of that whoops sorry not sorry".

Also, I was looking back at some chapters and realized I didn't make breaks where they should be so i'm going to be fixing that as well.

Future warning as well, updates are still going to continue to be hella irregular because i'm working full time at the moment so that shit is a wee bit time consuming.


	9. Just who are you?

I'm back

Thought i'd fucked off, didn't you? NOPE, i've just been working non-stop so here we are.

Irregular updates was right.

I don't own anything, like always, other than this awful excuse for a fic.

* * *

Lee had spent the rest of the day at Tenten's learning how to use his new phone, glad to take the opportunity to remain with his friends until his evening shift. Each of them had entered their information into his new device (which Naruto had taken the liberty of assigning them each outrageous nicknames of course) and walked him through the basics. Tenten had further surprised Lee when she gave hime a cute mint protective case covered in pink strawberries and a small, dangling pink phone strap. She had easily dispelled his reluctance to accept yet another present by stating that the others had really been responsible for most of the big gift so she had wanted to pitch in with something of her own. Lee had swallowed his guilt and smiled gratefully at his long standing friend as he inspected the adorable accessories. It was a little known fact that, although most things he owned were green or grey and plain, his favourite colour was actually pink and he had always had a terrible weakness for anything cutesy. Tenten knew this well and liked to exploit it at any opportunity that presented itself (his pencil case covered in images of cupcakes was proof enough).

The remainder of the afternoon passed in companionable ease, each of the friends grouping off and doing their own things. Naruto and Sasuke had found themselves in a rather heated competition (though Sasuke would deny it) on one of the many games the living room contained, which involved much screeching on the blonde's part and an almost constant smirk on the raven's. Tenten and Hinata had relocated to the formers room to have some "girl time" according to the brunette which, in reality, was their way of escaping from the chaos of the adoptive brothers. Neji, Gaara, and Lee had volunteered to make food for the rest of the group. However, seeing as Lee was the only one skilled in that area, it mainly consisted of the dark skinned male cooking while Neji helped to prepare minor ingredients and Gaara sat at the counter observing his two friends. It was a truly wonderful time; in fact, it was the best Lee had had in a long while.

Waving off their offers to walk him home (and inevitably to work) once lunch had come and gone, the raven haired teen promised to text them instead so that they would know he had arrived home safe. Walking at a leisurely pace, Lee made his way back to his small apartment so that he could drop off his sleepover bag and head to Paradise. Tenten had been kind enough to let him shower at her house, so he had pulled his long, wet hair into a neat braid that rested over his right shoulder and had put on the green t-shirt and dark-wash jeans he had packed. Although he had more than an hour before he was expected at work, Lee unlocked his door hurriedly, wanting to leave the complex as fast as possible so he could arrive early enough that the inevitable outfit change wouldn't cut into his shift again. Lee, while hoping to save time in that aspect, was also more than a little eager to be at the club once more.

He couldn't wait to see his new friends again, something he desperately wished was reciprocated and not a hopeless longing on his part (a lesson Lee learned once the orphanage kids that had spoken to him out of pity ended up avoiding and ignoring him the following day). Despite his hesitation, the young teen couldn't help believing that the people of Paradise were above such petty, childish things, and the warmth and acceptance he had felt those previous encounters could be nothing but genuine affection for their newest employee. Dropping his backpack on the small mattress, Lee opened the front pocket to grab his cellphone so he could transfer it to his small messenger bag. Firing off a quick text to the group chat they had set up on his phone informing them that everything was fine, he gently put the device in the front pocket. Locking the door behind him, Lee once again made his way to the job that had already changed his life so much.

~~~*timeskip*~~~ ~~~*timeskip*~~~

Standing at the front of Paradise, hands grasping the door handle limply, Lee realized his mistake in arriving much earlier than his shift: the club was closed. Mentally smacking his head for his lack of foresight, the dark eyed youth looked up to the unlit neon sign above the entrance and let out a resigned huff. _I guess I will just have to sit here until it—_

Lee was literally yanked out of his thoughts when the door, still in his grasp, opened, throwing him headfirst into the entrance. The raven haired male, unprepared for the abrupt motion, found himself face down on the mahogany carpet, arms awkwardly sprawled above his head.

"I suppose this is mildly better than being late, although you didn't need to be so dramatic about it," came the amused voice of Kakashi.

Lee felt himself colour as the older male crouched down, offering his hand in assistance.

"It was not my intention to fall flat on my face," the youth pouted cutely as he was helped to his feet. "I was contemplating what to do when the door suddenly pulled me forward and I lost my balance. I will be sure to catch myself next time!"

"Sure kid," the silver haired man easily agreed, "but how about you just come in the back entrance and save us all the trouble?"

"Y-Yosh! I am sorry to have cause such a disruption!" the lightly tanned teen bowed lowly, biting his lip apologetically. He had not meant to cause such a scene and burden the other staff with his own clumsiness.

The same large hand that had helped him up ruffled his bangs gently. "It's no big deal, I just want to make sure you don't hurt yourself again," Kakashi reassured, uncovered eye softening at the sad hunch of the other's shoulders.

Heartened by the clarification, warmth bloomed in Lee's chest while a smile adorned his previously bleak face. _I knew I was right in believing in these people,_ he cheered internally as the harsh reprimand he was expecting never came. Letting out a small content hum, he took a stride forward to make his way further into the club but paused mid step. Turning on his heal, Lee spun around, face steeled for anything, and flung his thin arms around the grey eyed male's torso. Burying his head in the others chest, he mumbled a quite thanks before bolting it to the dressing room. In his haste, Lee missed how Kakashi froze in place, visible eye wide and unblinking as his pale skin flushed the faintest of pinks.

The dark eyed boy didn't stop his rapid pace until he was safely behind the doors of the practice room afraid of the older bouncer's reaction to his less than professional behaviour. _Not everyone is as comfortable with affectionate gestures as you are Lee,_ he reprimanded himself as he rested against the cool metal of the doors. _Especially people that barely know you._ Running his fingers through his bangs in frustration, he remembered how warm Kakashi's large hand had felt when it had brushed his forehead. _Maybe…..maybe he does not mind as much as I thought?_

"Ah, there's just the cutie I was looking for," came the familiar, and more than welcome, voice of Sai.

Shaking himself from his stupor, large obsidian orbs rested on his companion, eager for something different to focus on. The tall, thin male sauntered over in what Lee could only describe as (much to his own embarrassment) an effortlessly sensual glide, hips rolling lazily. Lee couldn't help but trail the figure with his eyes, taking in the confident walk and masculine figure of his friend. A tight black v-neck clung to the surprisingly defined chest of the pale man, emphasizing the broadness of his shoulders. The shirt was paired with the same skin tight leather pants Lee had first seen the other in that highlighted just how long the other's legs were stopping after what felt like miles at the shiny black boots they were tucked into. Overall, his coworker looked amazing and Lee felt himself drawn to the drastic contrast between translucent skin and midnight apparel.

"Like what you see?" Sai teased with a wink when he noticed the raven's gaze.

"You look fantastic Sai! Very handsome indeed, it is no wonder that you are so popular at Paradise!" Lee eagerly admitted, not one to hold back compliments. It was true as well, when Gai had been talking to him about some of their regulars and which shows they would come for specifically, Sai's name had been mentioned quite frequently as a crowd favourite.

The short haired male seemed to preen under the attention briefly before his face smoothed into it's signature blank expression. "Thanks Lee, it's nice to hear a sincere compliment every now and then, don't you agree?" Sai questioned rhetorically with a tilt of his head, smile stiff but genuine. "However, no one is going to be looking at me once we get you all dressed up and confident."

"Ah, n-no, not at all," Lee shook his head in the negative as he stumbled over the denial. Having not received many (meaning zero) compliments up until Paradise, the modest male did not know how to react to such kind words, especially when they were genuine. "That is definitely not going to be the case Sai, you are not giving yourself enough credit!"

Laughing softly at the young teens response, Sai snaked his arm around Lee's waist, guiding him to the multitude of outfits hanging by the dressing tables. "Don't fret, I am more than confident in myself, both inside and out, so there's no need to worry about me being upset by you outshining me. In fact, as your friend, I wish for you to shine as bright as possible and I will make sure that it happens if it's the last thing I do."

Lee could only stare in awe at Sai as the other pushed him to sit at one of the vanities while he sifted through the racks, pulling out different articles of clothing to see which combination would be the best. Never, in all of his short life, had Lee met someone as openly confident and at peace with themselves as Sai. It baffled the other teen, whom had always thought that self-doubt and internalized hatred went hand in hand with merely existing, how someone could be so easily content with who they were and not lament over what they could have been. What confused Lee even more was just how assured his new friend was in him and his ability to shine just as bright as Sai himself.

 _Yet_ , a small part of his mind suggested, _you know what it feels like to glimmer, so maybe glowing is not as far beyond your reach as you think._ Having tasted the brief, yet so blindly beautiful moment of confident serenity that Paradise had already given him, Lee had began to believe that, just maybe, he could become what Sai so adamantly thought he could be. No longer would he let the young, broken boy that had cowered in the face of cruelty hold him back, allowing himself the future of the budding man breaking free from the confines of doubt and sadness. So Lee wanted, for all the people that believed he could and for himself, to paint over the black mess that his life once was with the devastatingly lovely shades of positivity, and self-assurance that seemed to flow, in abundance, from the little club and it's occupants.

"Thank you Sai," the serious tone of Lee's voice instantly drew the other's attention, "for everything."

Black orbs met in a prolonged gaze, the long haired male trying to convey the just how much he was truly grateful for unsure how to voice such things in words alone.

"Of course, what are friends for if not to make you the best that you can be?" came the equally serious reply. Breaking into a grin that quickly dispelled the heavy atmosphere, Sai held up the articles of clothes that he had lowered during their previous moment. "Now, I thought today we'd go with something a little more dark. I'd like to call it 'sad sex kitten'. "

Lee couldn't help the chuckle that escaped at the ridiculous name Sai had come up with for this new look. This quickly morphed into full-blown laughter that had him doubled over, clutching his stomach as tears rolled down his round cheeks, when he looked from the outfit to his friend's completely deadpan expression. Eventually his full bodied laugh was joined by raspy chuckles as the pale dancer collapsed against the clothing racks at the absurdity of it all.

Wiping tears from his eyes, Lee once again focused on the outfit the ebony haired male had chosen. The first thing he noticed was the heather grey hoodie (if he could call it that considering it seemed only long enough to cover his ribs) with black arms and cute black cat ears sewn onto the hood. There was also a pair of **_very_** short dark wash jean shorts, complete with frayed edges and rips that would most definitely be showing even more of his thighs. Sai also had in his possession some sheer black knee socks, a shiny black collar choker, and black combat boots to complete the " sad sex kitten" ensemble.

"No time to hesitate," Sai cut in at the wide-eyed uncertainty on the other's face, "I want to officially introduce you to the other repeat workers here so you'll have some more familiar faces to rely on whenever i'm not around."

Having not really interacted on any long term basis with anyone aside from Sai, Kakashi, and Gai, Lee was eager to meet even more people at Paradise. _Especially if they are anything like the one's I have met so far, particularly Sai and Gai,_ he silently added to himself. Trusting his friend's judgement, he quickly changed into the costume and submit to Sai's insistence of letting him apply some mascara, eyeliner, and lipgloss to finish the transformation. And, once again, Lee was not disappointed in the pale man's abilities as he pulled his braid out from the confines of the hood and over his shoulder. This new look highlighted the softness of his features, drawing out the adorable roundness of his cheeks and largeness of his eyes. Coupled with the bare expanse of his torso and thighs, he looked exactly as Sai had so humorously suggested (which did not seem quite as ridiculous now): a sad sex kitten.

"See, what did I say? Glowing," Sai said as he took Lee's hand leading him to the main part of the club.

Lee couldn't help the crimson flush that crept over his cheeks at the other's words and the rush of confidence they brought him. _If this is what it is like to be as content as Sai, then I hope that I can work hard to reach that state of self-assuredness as soon as possible,_ he mused smiling to himself.

As the pair exited the dressing room, Lee noticed two men that hadn't been there when he arrived standing in front of the large stage. Sai dropped Lee's hand in favour of resting his own on the other's lower back, gently guiding him to the other's. Lee jumped slightly at the cold touch on his exposed skin, but easily relaxed into the friendly contact, glad to have his friends reassurance. Once they got closer to the duo, a plastic smile formed on Sai's pale face in an attempt to look disarming (though it ended up making him look rather intimidating). Apparently they were more than accustomed to the expressionless male's struggle with emoting as they merely turned in greeting, the one Lee now recognized as Shikamaru lifting his hand in a lazy wave.

"Everyone, this is Lee," Sai began as he gestured with his free hand to Lee. "Lee, this is Shikamaru."

"Ah! Yes, we have already met…or, rather, we saw each other briefly during my first shift," Lee clarified as the bushy haired male nodded in agreement.

"Kakashi had me running errands and I happened to see him in Gai's office," Shikamaru added when Sai continued to stare at him.

"I hope we can become great friends!" Lee chirped as he brought his hand out for a handshake.

"Hmmm, sure," the other drawled, grasping the outstretched hand briefly.

"Don't mind him," came the smooth voice of the still un-introduced male, "he's just hoping that by playing it cool you won't notice how attractive he thinks you are."

Looking at his other co-worker, Lee felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity, as if he had met him somewhere before. The sharp black eyes and dark hair pulled into a low ponytail clawed at a memory he couldn't quite recall; a face similar yet different from one he had seen many times over. The deep chuckle of the stranger drew Lee back to the present.

The bored looking male made a low tsk as he turned a violent shade of red. "How annoying," he scoffed as he left the three and headed to the bar.

"Well, that **_was_** Shikamaru, and this," Sai gestured to the tall male in front of Lee, "is Itachi."

Lee instantaneously gasped and did a double-take at the name, large eyes going even rounder at what Sai had just said. Snapping his head back to face the not so oddly familiar male, the earlier sense of deja-vu made complete sense. A little dizzy at the information overload, the dark skinned male began to recall everything he had every heard about this male. _But….but this can not be possible, they told me that….that he left,_ he questioned as doubt began to cloud what his eyes were telling him as memory after memory flooded his mind.

"If….if I may ask, that is….are you….do you happen to be Itachi **_Uchiha_**?" Lee meekly voiced, certain now that he must be mistaken. _There is no way, I am most certainly mistaken, it can not be him, it is not him, this most certainly is not the Itachi Uchi-_

"Ah, I haven't gone by that name in a long time, but you aren't incorrect in assuming that." Itachi smoothly responded. "I just go by Itachi now." Although he appeared calm, his sharp eyes had hardened when the question had been asked. Now, an equally sharp smirk bloomed on his face. "You are aquatinted with my brother, aren't you?" the once pleasant voice countered almost dangerously.

Lee was helpless to do anything but nod weakly as he, once again, took in the man that was not supposed to even be within one thousand feet of Konaha. Lee most certainly knew Itachi's brother, considering they were two out of the seven best friends that made up a small group. And, from what said friend had told him during their years of friendship, this person should not -could not- be here, at Paradise, working with Lee at this very moment.

Because Itachi, the older, **_biological_** brother of one Sasuke Uchiha, had run away from home when Sasuke was eight, leaving the young boy a devastated shell of his happy self, and had not returned since.

* * *

Dun, dun, duuuun. So, you should definitely expect a bit more backstory and Paradise in the next chapter, which I promise I will try and complete faster than this chapter.

Thanks again for your more than kind words on this disgusting thing, it is greatly appreciated!

On another note, I thought I should clarify just exactly who does what at Paradise (mostly because I don't really plan on dealing with it in the story aside for in little insists and such) so here goes:

Kakashi and Gai are the owners of Paradise, having opened it when they were young adults. They've been friends practically forever so when Gai suggested opening a club, although reluctant, Kakashi agreed and it did surprisingly well. Kakashi used to be a dancer, but switched to being a bouncer after injuring his eye. Gai also used to perform, and still does every now and then, but much prefers dealing with the business side of running the club and also works as the bartender. Sai, Shikamaru, and Itachi are all dancers, Itachi having worked there the longest and Shikamaru the shortest.

There might be some other people mentioned, but for now that's it for the Paradise people.


	10. I'm Sorry I Asked

Although and earlier update, it is shorter than recent chapters, for which I am sorry (it seemed so much longer when writing it!).

Nothing belongs to me but my own words (also, to those of you that have been telling me not to call my story shit I thank you for your kind words, but I promise you that I am mostly joking).

* * *

"Hmmm, so Sasuke is still holding a grudge, is he?" Itachi drawled as he took in the shellshocked youth still gaping at him. Before Lee could pull himself together and respond, the older male broke eye contact as a bitter smirk washed over his hardened face, twisting the handsome features into something sinister. "Not that I thought it would be any different mind you, seeing how our **_darling_** parents are so forthcoming with the truth," he spat, words practically dripping with venom, "but that is neither here nor there." The distorted anger that overwhelmed the pale face snapped back into the serene smile so fast Lee wondered if he had merely imagined such a vile expression. "I do hope that this won't interfere with our working relationship," came the now smooth and unassuming voice, devoid of the harsh bite that so recently coloured the baritone.

Once again, Lee found himself helpless to do anything more than nod his head dumbly, still reeling from the drastic shift in personality. The action seemed to satisfy the older Uchiha, however, for he proceed to turn on his heel and stride to the dressing room as if the previous outburst had never happened. The dark skinned male continued to stare, dumbfounded, at the space Itachi had occupied; hands clammy as a shiver worked its way down his spine. Lee couldn't stop the violent jerk that had him whipping around to face Sai when the other had attempted to place a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" his friend asked concern evident in his tone although his face remained impassive.

"Ah, y-yes of course, I was merely…." _reminded of all the times I would receive that look before being shoved aside, verbally attacked, or…..worse,_ "….startled."

While Lee had not been lying, having truly been unprepared for the contact, it was more than evident that Sai knew there was something else that had further contributed to his intense reaction.

"Itachi's notorious for being an asshole, but he's generally lighthearted about it," the bland voice informed. "Teasing and prodding are more his thing, not, well, **_that_**."

"It was never my intention to cause such discomfort," Lee added weakly, the previous fear subsiding as guilt and regret took it's place. "I should not have asked him such personal questions, it must have been very uncomfortable, not to mention invasive! How rude of me, I promise that I will never commit such an unbecoming act again or I shall clean the whole club by myself for a mo—"

"Lee," Sai cut in, stopping the dark haired teen before he worked himself up further, "I should have told you not to bring his past up, he's always reacted.… **_distastefully_** when it has been. I never thought you of all people would know anything about it."

"I….well, I am very good friends with Sasu—his younger brother so I know…a little of what happened back then," the large eyed male replied, looking to the ground as he wrapped his arms around his waist. _I thought I had been told everything, but now I am not sure…. and I do not think I am the only one missing such critical information,_ he added mentally. "He…he is going to be okay, yes?"

"If Itachi's good at anything, other than being an asshole, it's being resilient," the ebony haired male assured as he took in the distressed face of his coworker. "He'll be embarrassing Shikamaru in no time…and you if your not careful," he added flatly.

Sai reached out both of his pale hands, purposely slowing his movements so it would be obvious to the other, and grabbed the tanned ones that Lee had clamped around his slender waist. Bringing his face level with Lee's large eyes, Sai's dark, almost dead looking, orbs held a serious look.

"I'm not one to pry, but if you ever want to talk to me you can," his equally serious voice promised.

Lee relaxed as Sai gave his appendages a small squeeze, taking comfort in both the vocal assurance and the small gesture. _For such a cold looking person, Sai is exceptionally warm hearted!_ A small giggle escaped the long haired male's mouth at the thought, finding the contradiction amusing. Sai took that as his cue to release one hand so he could lead the other to the bar, satisfied that his friend was no longer visibly distressed.

"Besides," the monotone cut in as the pair made their way to where the other workers were slowly gathering, "you're essentially catnip to men, so i'd be more worried about Itachi never leaving you alone."

Lee sputtered at Sai's declaration as he violently waved his free hand in front of his flushed face. "T-THAT IS MOST DEFINITELY NOT TRUE!" he frantically denied, voice unintentionally loud in his embarrassment.

"What is not true, my little Lotus?" Gai questioned.

Lee, so focused on their conversation, had not realized that they had finally made it to the small group of employees at the bar; who, he was disconcerted to notice, were all focused on the teen thanks to his outburst.

"AH…I-it is nothing Gai, I did not mean to—"

"Lee didn't agree with my statement," Sai's even tone enlightened, interrupting Lee's attempt at defusing the unintentional scene he had caused.

"And what was it that our Lee could have disagreed with?" the heavily muscled man inquired, head cocked in contemplation.

"He is in denial that he is essentially catnip. But instead of affecting cats, he's the kind that makes men go wild," Sai deadpanned.

Lee was mortified to see that everyone had turned from his friend to focus on him anew. Squirming under their unrelenting eyes, he could feel his dark skin heat up further, still unused to such attention.

"Lee," Gai's strong voice boomed as he made the short distance between him and the youth. Settling his large hands on the slender shoulders, the shiny haired male gave him a stern look. "There are some things in life that you must come to accept," he began as a confused Lee nodded along while trying to understand what was happening. " Life is short but glorious, winter is cold but there is beauty in it's frigid wonderland, and you, my friend, are catnip to men. That is just how it is," he concluded sagely.

"I…I…I," Lee repeated as he desperately tried to process what his manager had just told him.

"Just accept it, he won't let go until you do," Kakashi, whom had seemingly materialized out of nowhere, advised nonchalantly.

Looking back to the oddly sombre face of the typically jovial owner, Lee shook his head in the affirmative, still not completely sure what he was assenting to.

"Wonderful, " Gai gave Lee a blinding smile before clapping his hands and refocusing on the group, "now that we have come to an agreement we can get to work! Everyone have a fantastic night and remember, Paradise is home to anyone who seeks it so treat them like family when they walk through those doors!"

Energized by the heartfelt words, Lee was more than ready to start his second shift at the club, but a large hand prevent his momentum.

"Lee, my star server, I would like to talk to you before your shift, so if you could make yourself available for a few minutes I would be most grateful!" Gai asked, his large smile softened into something encouraging.

"Of course!" Lee instantly responded, voice ending slightly high in worry.

"It is nothing negative, so do not worry," the elder laughed as he clapped Lee's back in comfort. "I was just hoping that you would accompany me tomorrow on a little adventure so that we can strengthen our bonds as companions!"

"I would be honoured!" the younger exclaimed, thrilled at the chance to get to know his gracious boss more.

"Perfect! Is twelve a suitable time to begin our journey?"

"YOSH! I look forward to it!," Lee clenched both his fists in resolve, ready to tackle any challenge that Gai would present him tomorrow.

"That's the spirit! Now go and show everyone what a great server you are!"

Lee didn't disappoint, and the remainder of the night was filled with much applause, laughter, and conversation—most of it between the ebony haired male and the numerous customers that took an instant liking to the cute waiter that was much stronger than he looked, if the highly stacked trays were anything to go by. With a final word to Gai, giving him his address and phone number (which resulted in Sai snatching his phone from his hands and mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like 'how could you give that annoying thing your number before me, you traitor' while he entered his information). Bidding the remaining two a quick goodbye, Shikamaru waving lazily in return and Kakashi inclining his head in acknowledgment, Sai and Lee set out to the latter's apartment. Although the younger was happy for the company at the late hour, he still insisted that it was not necessary for his friend to walk him back, which, unsurprisingly, was waved off by the other as they excited the club.

Realizing just how exhausted he was, Lee flopped on his bed as soon as he entered his small room. Lee had left Sai with the promise of texting him tomorrow in amends for not telling him about his new phone sooner, which seemed to mollify the slightly sour aura radiating off the expressionless male. Covering his eyes with his arm, he let out a content sigh as he smiled softly. Going over the highlights of his shift, an unfamiliar warmth bloomed in his chest as he recalled the tables he had served and just how complimentary everyone had been. _Is this….what pride feels liked,_ he wondered, _whatever it is, I can not help but feel like I am achieving something when I work._

Just as those thoughts passed, another scene from the evening played in his mind, eliciting a very different kind of warmth to consume him. _Why am I thinking of this now!?_ he internally shrieked as waves of embarrassment crashed over him. The first performance of the night (which, to Lee's discomfort, could not stop replaying in his mind) had been a dual act featuring Shikamaru and Itachi. The two had been clad in dark leather that left nothing to the imagination— not that Lee was imaging, mind you—that had escalated to obscene levels of undress as the act progressed. Despite his own shyness to all thing… ** _improper_** , Lee had found himself absorbed in the sensual movements of their unmistakably masculine bodies as they rolled and thrust their hips to the endless beat. It was even worse when they came off stage to walk amongst the crowd, their bodies glistening with sweat as they continued to dance—well, to say the least, Lee had almost dropped his trays and all the alcohol on it.

Smacking his cheeks, the crimson faced male forced himself to stop the dangerous train of thoughts that, if he were at the orphanage still, would surely cause him to be kicked out. _Lee, they are your co-workers, not objects for your….your… OH I JUST NEED TO STOP,_ he firmly reprimanded himself. _Besides, one of them does not even like you and would undoubtably not be happy to know you had been thinking about them in such a manner._ Even though Itachi had been more than civil to him the rest of the shift, Lee couldn't shake the feeling that the former really didn't like him. _It is not his fault,_ he lamented, _I was being insensitive and asking things that I had no right to ask._ As he drifted off to sleep, still clad in the clothes he had worn to work, one last thought surfaced in his hazy mind; _If what Itachi said is true, then just what really happened to make him despise his family so much?"_

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Short, I know, I know but I really didn't want to try and start another part here since the next part is a pretty big jump from the content of this chapter.

I hope you enjoy it though, and thank you so much to those who have left such lovely comments/reviews/whatever you wish to call them!


	11. The Second Beautiful Green Beast

I wanted to update sooner rather than later because I know I won't be updating much in the future.

Please do not worry, I will not give up on this fic but if I don't update for long periods of time know it is because school has started again.

Thank you for your understanding! And, as always, if Lee in canon is not being chased by every available male then it doesn't belong to me!

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Large round orbs flew open as a loud, achingly shrill ring permeated the small room startling the teen as his body pitched upwards into a seated position. Lee faltered for a moment, swaying unsteadily as his brain tried to catch up with the rapid motion of his body while simultaneously trying to assign meaning to the piercing trill that continued to disturb such a compact area. He had been dreaming that Sai had taken him to a quant cafe where they had been enjoying tea and various cakes. It was a nice comfortable dream —much nicer than the nightmares that used to colour his fitful sleeps— until Itachi had waltzed in and proceeded to throw the contents of the table onto the floor with one smooth swipe of his arm. He had then pulled Lee up onto the clear surface and proceeded to demonstrate just what being a dancer at Paradise was all about. Before dream Lee could protest, more than a little uncomfortable with how intimately the other was holding him, he had been whipped around and the dark, fathomless anger he saw in Itachi's eyes was seared into his own. "You know **_nothing_** of hardship," dream Itachi had spat in is face, before the lights in the cafe flickered and went dead. When the lights came back on, it was to Lee and Sai once again seated at the small, pink table, cakes and tea decoratively spread across it's unmarred face.

Shaking himself from the remnants of his dream Lee, still half asleep, groggily realized the continuous noise was coming from the foot of his bed. Scrambling across his mattress as fast as his tired limbs allowed, dark hair cascaded over his shoulders as he reached for the messenger bag that had been carelessly tossed there the previous night. Opening the front pocket clumsily, the dark skinned youth pulled out what he belatedly registered was his cellphone, the offending cacophony singing even louder in the open air. Looking dumbly at the screen, Lee answered the call with a weak "Hello?".

"HOW COULD YOU? DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED WE WERE!?" Lee quickly extended his arm in an attempt to escape the static shriek coming from the other line, eyes screwed up in pain.

"ALL OF US HAVE BEEN TEXTING AND CALLING NON-STOP, WE THOUGHT SOMETHING HAPPENED YOU BIG DUMM—" The feminine wailing, which Lee recognized as a hysteric TenTen, faded out as other voices reached the speaker in a muffled confusion of words.

"OI, THE TOMBOY'S RIGHT," came the new, yet equally loud, call of Naruto overwhelming the background noise, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TEXT US YOU ASSHOLE?" A loud thud registered over the line, followed by shouts of pain and a select few curses that grew dimmer as the person whom had grabbed the phone seemed to be moving away from the others. By this point, Lee had brought the phone back to his ear, silence filling the already one sided conversation.

Before he could speak, the deep, dangerously calm voice of Gaara broke the quiet. "Why did you not message me?" came the icy question, though the way it was uttered could be interpreted as nothing but a demand.

The dark tone snapped Lee into complete wakefulness, the underlying worry that he detected in the generally stoic male startling him.

"Gaara, my dear friend, what is it that has unsettled you s—" Lee stopped mid sentence, the worry in his voice dying on his lips as his sleep deprived brain finally pieced together the previous shouted words. He had forgotten to send them a text when he arrived home from work the day before, too exhausted to remember to grab his phone from the messenger bag he had dropped to the floor before collapsing on his bed. He had broken the promise he had so sincerely made to his friends. He had betrayed them.

"I AM A TERRIBLE FRIEND!" It was Lee's turn to yell as he was overwhelmed with guilt. "THERE IS NO EXCUSING MY BEHAVIOUR, I AM AN AWFUL PERSON AND AN EVEN WORSE COMPANION," he practically sobbed into the phone as he agonized over his treachery. He had been so careless and selfish, letting his exhaustion get the better of him, and in doing so had caused his friends unnecessary pain that, if he had just been more thoughtful, could have been easily avoided.

The sombre timber, softer than before but still laced with steel, brought Lee back to the conversation occurring. "You are forgiven….. this time," was the grudging reply, voice gravely and stilted as if the words coming out of his mouth didn't quite match what he had actually wanted to say. "But if this ever happens again you will never be allowed to leave my side."

Nodding his head rapidly in assent, although he knew the other could not see the action, the raven haired male wiped furiously at the tears that had formed in his eyes.

A light scoff sounded over the phone, followed by uproarious laughter and the sound of a palm meeting someone's head in a swift, but gentle cuff.

"Gaara, that is definitely not going to happen," Tenten, whom had been the one to hit the serious redhead, informed exasperatedly as she chuckled.

"That's something I'd except to come out of this idiot, not you," Sasuke added snidely as the accused idiot (which from the holler of 'YOU BASTARD' could be none other than Naruto) punched him in the shoulder.

There was more muffled noise as the phone once again passed hands. "Don't listen to him Lee," the twin bunned girl in possession of the mobile device once more reassured, "we know that you were probably just really tired after work and fell asleep the instant you got home, but we were just worried. And…, " she added sheepishly,"…..well we may overreacted just a little bit."

"I am so sorry for not texting you all, I know how you worry and I should not have been so selfish as to let myself fall asleep at such in inopportune time!" Lee insisted.

"Don't even start!" the distant voice of Neji called out: sharp and clearly annoyed.

"Neji's right, it was a simple mistake and it doesn't make you selfish, dummy. We know that you'd never do anything like that on purpose, so don't sweat it. We're just glad that everything's okay after all."

"I…..Thank you," a small smile bloomed on Lee's previously disheartened face as relief washed over him. _My friends are wonderful, caring people that give me far too much._ "HOWEVER," the loud volume of his voice dispelled the serious atmosphere, "I absolutely promise, no, I **_swear_** that I will never no anything like that every again or I will—"

"Lee, it's really okay, no need to make a self imposed punishment," Tenten quickly intervened. "Anyways, it was kind of funny to watch everyone panic. I mean, not Gaara of course, though his eye wouldn't stop twitching, but you should've seen Neji! He practically broke down my door trying to get in th—"

"THAT—THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED AT ALL!" said brunette's normally controlled voice boomed cutting his female friend off before she could say anything that could embarrass him further.

More laughter was heard in the background as various conversations broke out. "Well, now that that's solved, we're all going to head back to our houses and do our homework right?," she called to the others in the background resulting in a loud groan from the unwilling blonde. "We'll see you at school on Monday, right?"

Lee hummed in the positive, happy everything had so smoothly returned to normal thanks to his forgiving companions.

"Okay, have a good one, and make sure to text us every now and then! Bye!"

The phone chirped as the call ended leaving Lee once more alone in his now overly quiet apartment. He took a deep, shaky breath, releasing it in a choked oomph as he fell back on his unmade bed. The blanket that had been tossed around in his hast to grab his phone bunched up awkwardly under his long body, the soft, threadbare edges rubbing his smooth cheeks. Even though thing had been resolved, Lee still felt a twinge of guilt as he recalled the alarm in their voices as they shouted over the phone and, as he turned on his phone, just how many texts and missed calls appeared. _No,_ he sternly reprimanded as he shook his head, _I am not going to wallow in self pity any longer._ A new resolve filled his lungs as he let out another breath while turning to lie on his stomach. Scrolling to the bottom of the screen of worried texts, Lee clumsily sent a message to the group chat letting them know that he would be out most of the day with his boss and not to worry about him anymore. _There,_ he smiled as his phone chimed to let him know that his words had successfully sent, _I will just have to be more proactive about informing my friends of my activities._ Relaxing anew, Lee's thoughts wandered back to the odd dream he had awoken from.

Thinking of the oddly sinister dream Itachi and the way his eyes seemed to bore into his very soul, a new bought of regret washed over him at how poorly his first interaction with the real Itachi had gone. He knew that if he wanted to salvage any chance at friendship with the older male (which Lee hoped was not just a foolish desire on his part because Itachi seemed like a good person regardless of his momentary slip) he had to apologize properly. However, a smaller part of Lee, the part that had conjured such a grotesque version of the dancer in his sleeping moments, was terrified of confronting him. The face that had twisted into such an ugly distortion of the original, consumed by hatred and disgust continued to pull the dark haired male back into the various encounters his memories conjured of the orphanage and the horrendous adults that had wore matching expressions. But, above all else, Lee was not a coward and, especially after coming so far from the shell of himself that he once was, would not back down regardless of how hard a task it would be. _It is unfair of me to compare him to my past, I do not know the full story of why he left home and should not judge him for what I do not know especially if the chances of me knowing are next to none. I will just have to wipe away any impress he has made and reform it on his merits alone,_ he concluded.

Stretching languidly, he pushed back the loose strands of hair that had fallen out of the braid while he slept and grabbed one of his two towels hanging beside his closet and his small bag of toiletries, looking to have a nice (hopefully hot if the Landlord had finally got the heater fixed) shower before starting his day. Checking his phone once more for the time, just so he knew how long his shower could be, Lee was startled to notice that it was nearing noon and he had roughly half an hour before he had to meet Gai. Immediately abandoning the idea of having a lengthy soak, the thin male ripped out the door and to the communal bathing area the run down complex housed, silently praying it would not be as crowded as it usually was.

It was surprisingly empty, Lee thankfully noted, as he rushed into the nearest stall, wrinkled clothes haphazardly shoved into the first locker he had spotted. Turning the knob to as hot as it would run, he fumbled to remove his hair from it's half confined state while jumping under the spray. A full body shiver wracked his thin frame as goosebumps broke out over creamy skin. _I suppose the Landlord had been much to busy to fix the water,_ Lee lamented as he washed as quickly as possible while still being thorough. Fifteen minutes later, dark hair had been wound into a fresh braid as the youth skillfully maneuvered in the restricted space of his room, having rehung his towel and putting the small bag of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash back in it's signature spot. Pulling on the faded pink t-shirt that made up the last of his clean tops and his black pants, Lee quickly brushed his teeth and slipped his phone and wallet into his pockets. Locking his door, he hurriedly skipped down the stairs to his apartment and out to the front of the apartment where Gai said he'd be waiting. Just as he rounded the corner, a sharp honk alerted him to the awaiting figure of his shiny haired manager whom was waving vigorously out the rolled down window of a small, green car parked at the side of the road. Rushing over, Lee hoped into the passenger seat, which sunk under his slight weight, and buckled his seatbelt.

"Hello my dear friend, what a lovely day it has turned out to be! The perfect day to spend with my most youthful server, is it not!?" the jovial voice of Gai greeted, large smile accompanying the hand that squeezed Lee's shoulder affectionately.

"Yosh, I am glad that you asked me to join you!" the younger agreed honestly, feeling completely at ease around the older male.

"YOSH," Gai repeated, "then let us be of on this grand adventure!"

The green car pulled away from the apartment, heading further into the city on the warm Saturday afternoon. The two occupants of the vehicle chatted animatedly, loud voices feeding off each other's enthusiasm as they discussed various topics ranging from sports they enjoyed playing (which they both agreed that soccer was the best with track coming a close second) to what kind of ice cream they loved the most (Gai's being a natural vanilla while Lee's was strawberry) and everything in-between. Lee was so caught up in their endless conversation, something inside him warming at having an adult (other than the sisters that had had to pay attention to him) actively taking an interest in his opinions, that he did not notice that the small car had come to a complete stop. Following Gai's example, the tanned teen stepped out of the vehicle and finally took in the new surroundings. Eyebrows drawn in confusion, Lee turned to the other male wondering what exactly Gai had in mind when he had taken them to the largest, and most popular mall in Konaha.

"TA-DAH!" Gai cried, arms flung out in excitement. "We have finally arrived! Today's mission is as follows, are you ready to help me, my little lotus, in this endeavour?"

Despite his own doubts as to what he could do for Gai, especially here of all places, he nodded his head vigorously in agreement. _Whatever it is, I will do my best!_

"EXCELLENT! Today's mission is called: Make Lee the Second Beautiful Green Beast of Konaha!"

Gai, in his performing days and whenever he decided to dance at Paradise, was referred to as the Beautiful Green Beast; 'A self imposed name,' Sai had added when they had been discussing stage names while they walked to Lee's flat. However, knowing this did nothing to stop the way his eyebrows pulled even further together as he became more befuddled.

"I am sorry Gai, but I do not understand what you are asking of me," Lee finally voiced as his boss continued to stare at him expectantly.

"AH! Let me be more clear then," Gai laughed, excitement making him squirm in place. "We are here to give you a complete makeover so that you can have your very own wardrobe and cosmetics for when you come to Paradise!"

The gobsmacked disbelief that wiped the confusion clear off the cherubic face was just as involuntary as the wheezed gasp that passed through gaping lips. Already large eyes widened to comical levels, overwhelming his delicate features as he stared, unblinking, at the man who had, in Lee's opinion, already offered him the world.

"I, I CAN NOT ACCEPT!" he reeled, clutching one hand to his chest as he waved his other arm in front of his face. He tried desperately to understand just why Gai would be willing to offer him even more after he had already given him far too much. "THAT, THAT IS JUST T-TO MUCH!"

"NONSENSE! Think nothing of it! And besides," Gai began as he walked around the car and to Lee's side, "I will not accept anything but a YES GAI, THANK YOU! Everyone who works at Paradise is family, and each of them will receive such a gift from kakashi and I!" Wrapping his heavily muscled arm around the teen's shoulders he comfortably led the other to the mall's entrance. "Now, let us make you the most wonderful version of yourself that you can be!"

Still overwhelmed from such an effortless display of kindness, Lee was helpless to the strong force of Gai that smoothly guided him through the door and into the expanse of the heavily occupied mall. _Today,_ Lee acknowledged as he knew that Gai could get him to agree to anything (even allowing him to spend far too much time and money on him), _is going to be a very interesting adventure._

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Thanks again for your comments, they are all very heartwarming and i'm glad to know that my fic could make you feel better when reading it.

Comments are always appreciated, but are not necessary if you don't wish to leave any!


	12. It can only get Better

Long time no see everyone! School has been insanely busy but I managed to snag some free time to update this!

See, I really didn't abandon this story!

As always, nothing in Naruto belongs to me because if it did everyone would worship the ground Lee walked on!

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Lee had only ever been in Suna mall once prior to Gai's sly plans to get him to agree to a surprise shopping spree.

It had been three years back on Tenten's fifteenth birthday when she had made last minute party plans after her parents had been called oversees to attend a job conference. The brunette had opted to see a movie and grabbing a quick bite to eat, more than satisfactory for a group of teens, so Suna had been the best location to achieve such simple goals. Since it was the largest mall in Konoha, Suna, on top of housing over seventy different stores within the behemoth five floor structure, had it's own top of the line theatre. Back then Lee had never stepped foot in a small store, let alone a giant, overcrowded, hangout, so he had been a bit overwhelmed when his friends casually strolled into the biggest, most luxurious place he had every seen without so much as batting an eye. Everyone learned that night that apparently growing up in a small crowded house did not in fact lend itself well to adjusting someone to being in larger more crowded spaces. They also learned how to talk Lee through a panic attack.

After moving to Konoha proper and not just sitting on it's outskirts, the dark skinned male learned to deal with his anxiety quickly: if he wanted this new endeavour to work (which he really, really did) he had to be self-reliant. So, as the odd duo made their way to the expensive looking elevators, Lee was overjoyed to learn that Gai would not have to deal with a hyperventilating nervous wreck as stepping into Suna a second time did nothing more than awe him at it's sheer enormity. As the pair started walking through the long hallways of the upper floor, the younger puzzled over just where in Suna his admittedly strange boss could be taking them. Even though Lee was unfamiliar with the stores in the mall, he was most certain that there couldn't be a shop that sold the kinds of outfits that Paradise was apparently known for: Especially in such a public place. Gai must have sensed Lee's confusion because a second later he turned abruptly to face the long haired teen.

"Lee, my little lotus, there is no need for doubt. All will make sense once we arrive at Midnight Dream!" the large man assured as he grabbed Lee's hand and pulled him faster in the direction of what the younger assumed must lead to the clothing store. "Kakashi and I have an understanding with the owner, since most of our employees end up making a trip there at some point," Gai's loud voice informed jovially as he smiled down at the shorter male, "so do not worry about how much something cost, if you like it and it looks delectable than you must have it!"

"But, Gai I simply could no—"

"WE ARE HERE!" said male shouted, stopping the other's refusal, as he all but pushed Lee into the oddly isolated store at the end of one of the several corridors.

When Gai had said Midnight Dream in reference to Paradise, Lee had instantly thought the shop would in some strange way resemble the club itself; Something dark and forbidden in the most sensual way possible, with an oddly comfortable atmosphere that made seductive promises of a good time. Or even just the same kind of decorative touches, like a plush rug in a matching red with some leather couches and oddly elegant touches. What he was not expecting, however, was for Midnight Dream to look like every other clothing store Lee had spotted in snapshot glimpses on their trek. His thick eyebrows scrunched up in disbelief as large eyes continued to rove the room, looking for something that could even be considered Paradise-esque. When nothing turned up, he felt oddly disappointed. _Do not think like that Lee,_ he scolded as he gave his head a sharp shake, _it is rude to treat Gai's generosity in this manner. He was kind enough to willingly spend time with you so what right do you have to make judgement._ The sound of footsteps could be heard emerging from somewhere at the back of the store, halting Lee's personal admonition.

"Welcome to Midnight Dream, how can I —Lee?"

Lee could feel the exact moment his heart stopped beating while simultaneously plummeting into the depths of his now sore stomach. His heart shaped mouth was opened in an unattractive gape when he turned his ashen face to look at the all too familiar figure of the store clerk. Lee let out an involuntary choked noise that sounded oddly as if a scream and a whimper had both got caught attempting to escape his throat, his hands shaking faintly at his sides. _This can not be happening, this can not be happening, this can—_

"Gaara never mentioned the gang was gonna be here. Oh, hey Gai didn—HOLY SHIT!," the previously calm male exploded as his gaze flicked back and forth between the other occupants of the store, easily putting two and two together. "No way….you have got to be fuckin' with me!"

Lee had every intention of treating this situation like the young adult he was. He was prepared to take a relaxing breath and then calmly explain the circumstances in a way that would prove to Gai that he could handle difficult situations maturely. His mouth apparently had other ideas because instead an achingly loud, embarrassingly strangled "PLEASE DO NOT TELL GAARA!" ripped from his loose lips.

"You mean he doesn't know!?," None other than Gaara's older brother screeched as his own face took a turn at lightening three shades. "OH GOD, this is like a secret thing isn't it!? He's going to kill me when he finds out!"

"Kankuro, you must understand….I mean, this. They do not….they will! PLEASE DO NOT SAY ANYTHING KANKURO!" Lee shouted in response, arms flailing uselessly as he began to panic. Fleetingly, the stricken youth recalled Gaara mentioning something about his brother working at an odd store in Suna, but he never would have thought it would be the only one affiliated with Paradise. Of course something like this would happen to him.

Lee and Kankuro had a solid enough relationship, having become friends because of the sheer amount of time the former spent with the latter's younger brother. It also helped that the strong jawed brunette had always been a relatively social person to begin with, so when Gaara had begun dragging Lee to his house he had just rolled with it. They eventually found common ground through their surprisingly mutual love for cute things (which Kankuro sharply informed Lee that if ever told anyone he would most definitely deny) which led to the blossoming of their own friendship. Although Lee knew that Kankuro had genuine affection for him, he also accepted the fact that Kankuro was an overly protective brother that was more likely to appease his sibling by telling the truth than trying to hide possibly the worst kept secret Lee had ever had. He only hoped that he would try and soften the blow when it came time to deliver the news to Gaara.

"ENOUGH!" Gai, whom Lee had almost forgot was there, boomed. "Let us all take a moment to calm ourselves and start again from the beginning."

While Lee listened to Gai and started to breath evenly, he found he could not physically stomach the idea of looking either male in the eye. Dread settled thick and heavy on his weary shoulders, bowing them further under it's weight.

"Lee, can you tell me what is going on?" the elders voice gently coaxed, a striking contrast from the steely tone he had used mere moments before.

"I…," his voice trailed off weakly. He desperately wanted to tell Gai exactly what had been gnawing at his conscience since he first accepted the position at the club, but he was absolutely terrified that Gai would be insulted by his petty fears; or worse, **_disappointed_**. Working up his courage, Lee risked a glance at his boss. When he saw nothing but patience and gentle encouragement, the young teen hardened his resolve. "I….have not been exactly….honest with my friends. I—they do not know that I work at Paradise."

"IT IS NOT BECAUSE I AM ASHAMED!" Lee frantically continued, not waiting for the inevitable falling out that he knew was going to occur. "I love working at Paradise, everyone is kind and helpful! ESPECIALLY SAI, I AM SO GLAD TO HAVE MET HIM! And even if Itachi can be scary at times and Kakashi pokes fun, they are still good people and I know given the chance we could all be great friends! AND YOU HAVE BEEN SO KIND TO ME, ALWAYS MAKING SURE I AM COMFORTABLE AND HAPYY! I HAVE NEVER FELT SO USEFUL AND CARED FOR! So please do not think I do not want them to know I am just….I am just….I am afraid that they will not…they will not understand how much Paradise means to me. I am so sorry for being so cowardly!" The youth was breathing heavily by the end of his rant, coffee coloured skin flushed from exertion as he dropped his head once again.

There was so many things he still wanted to say, like how much Paradise felt like home to him and how much he had come to look up to Gai as an almost father figure— _foolish_ his brain reminded— but he was far too emotionally drained to put any more of his feelings into words.

Gai's large, warm hand grasped his shoulder gently, but Lee still could not bring himself to look at his wonderful, kind manager. Gai had been the first adult outside of the orphanage to have any genuine affection for him, and he didn't want to see the moment all of that died.

"My little lotus, thank you for telling me this. You have done nothing wrong, do not fret. Not everyone is understanding when it comes to what it means to work at Paradise, even friends who love us very much can find displeasure in what we choose to do for a living. It does not make you a coward to worry about what they will think, it just means that you care deeply for them and do not wish to make them upset. You will tell them when the time is right, I just know it, and you will see that even in hard times friends never stop caring for one another!" Gai smiled widely before pulling the shorter male into a warm, comforting hug.

Lee could not stop the sob that escaped his trembling lips. That was swiftly followed by increasingly louder sobs as he pushed his face into Gai's strong chest, wrapping his own arms tightly around the elder's middle.

"WOAH, LEE! I won't tell I promise, OKAY!? Please stop crying, Gaara'll have my head if he finds out you've been upset!" Lee distantly heard Kankuro desperately try and console him, but he was far too focused on continually thanking Gai in awkward, half gasped 'thank you's' as he soaked the green spandex shirt with his tears.

"He is fine my friend! Lee is just making sure his heart is lighter so that he can continue today with a brighter smile" Gai laughed cheerfully as he tenderly ran his hand up and down Lee's back.

"Oh thank god," the other male exhaled as he ran a hand through his brown hair, "i've only ever seen you this upset once and that was when one of those asshole kids at the orphanage cut off your braid."

"Orphanage?" Gai questioned as he looked down at the now rigid body in his arms.

"SHIT!," Kankuro exclaimed as he clasped a hand over his mouth. "Why do I keep fuckin' shit up!?"

"I—"

"Lee, you do not have to tell me if you are not ready. I will listen whenever you wish to talk about this but do not think tha—"

"No, it is…I want to tell you," Lee smoothly reassured as he sniffed lightly, wiping his still leaking eyes with the back of his hand.

"Well, the least I can do after bringing up that whole shit storm is bring you back to the other side so you can have some privacy," the brunette offered as he rubbed his neck.

"Thank you Kankuro, please do not feel bad. I needed a bit of a push anyways, so thank you for providing it!," the teen smiled softly at his friend, eyes happy despite being red and puffy.

Kankuro brought them to a door near the back of the store which, instead of opening into a backroom, lead into a entirely different shop. Bigger than the front of the store, the large room looked exactly like Lee had first assumed Midnight Dream would look; black walls, rich mahogany carpet, and decorative loungers. Kankuro left them with a nod of his head, while the remaining two made themselves comfortable on one of the plush leather couches further into the space. Lee begin to fidget as nerves got the better of him, playing with his fingers in a manner oddly reminiscent of Hinata.

"I…I find that I do not know where to start…"

"Be calm, my little lotus, and start wherever is best for you," Gai instructed as he placed a hand over Lee's.

"My…my parents died when I was very young…." Lee softly began.

After that simple statement, the words wouldn't stop flowing from the young male's mouth. He found himself telling Gai everything; What he had felt when he first came to Saint Kage's, the vile parents and how they eventually influenced everyone to start treating him like an outsider, the Sisters and their love for him despite what other's believed, feeling alone until he met Tenten and then Naruto, being desperate to be independent and finally leaving. The more he spoke, the more he felt invisible weights being lifted off of him. By the end of the afternoon, Lee felt like he could fly if he tried hard enough. Gai had listened to everything, actively participating when needed and allowing Lee to just continuously talk when the situation called for it. It was absolutely earth shattering to have an adult treat Lee like he was someone worth listening to and genuinely caring about what he had to say. He concluded that Gai was the most amazing man on earth: He was sure of it. There had also been more tears (on both their parts) and a lot of hugging but Lee had never felt so at ease in his own skin.

They eventually got around to actually finding new clothes for Lee as well. Midnight Dream contained a plethora of club attire, ranging from leather pants to shimmery crop tops and everything in-between that someone would need to work at a place like Paradise. Part of the store was dedicated to an insanely large amount of accessories and cosmetics that perfectly complimented any outfit that could be put together which, Lee noted, was impressive considering just how many different combinations could be achieved. Kankuro was once again recruited to help in their pursuit since Lee was more than a bit intimidated by all the options and Gai was rather unhelpfully suggesting he just try everything on. Although he was reluctant to see one of his brother's friends in some rather risqué outfits, he turned out to be surprisingly knowledgeable when it came to the store's inventory and what would compliment Lee best. After two hours of trying on outfit after outfit, the trio settled on a total of seven regular outfits and five specialty one's that Gai assured Lee he would be needing (just why Lee would need a corset and lingerie was not something he felt he could think on without dying of embarrassment). Several tubes of lipstick in various shades of pink and red were added to the already alarmingly large pile of items as well as two eyeshadow palettes (Lee had never seen so much glitter in his life), a stick of eyeliner, and mascara along with all the tools he would need to apply said cosmetics. Gai had to forcibly remove Lee from the store when it came time to pay, especially when the sight of so many zeroes nearly had him fainting on the spot.

With one last promise on Kankuro's part to keep what transpired that day between the three of them and a tight, grateful embrace on the dark skinned youth's part, Gai and Lee headed back to the now mostly empty parking lot. Shoving the overflowing bags into the back of the compact vehicle had been a challenge, seeing as Gai had decided to keep a large majority of his exercise equipment with him at all times ("you never know when the need to keep youthful will strike Lee! Better to be prepared I always say!"). With a sad huff, the heavily muscled man finally conceded that moving his weights to the floor so that their purchase could sit precariously on the worn seats was their best bet. Hopping into the front, the two men made their way through the city in companionable silence, each taking solace in the other's presence. When Gai finally pulled the small car into the lot behind Paradise, Lee immediately grabbed as many of the bags that he could carry and started heading for the front of the club.

"Lee, my friend, please slow down!," the elder of the two chuckled as he grabbed the numerous bags out of Lee's hands. "I have brought you here so that we can share a delicious dinner together, do not worry about these I will take care of them later!"

Instead of refusing the offer like he usually would in an attempt at modesty, Lee eagerly accepted, relief washing over him. He found himself unwilling to part ways with Gai so soon after sharing such emotionally sensitive information. The young male still felt a little raw after his confession and, despite it being selfish, wished to bask a little longer in the acceptance that radiated off the club's owner. _It is not a burden to take comfort when it is given,_ Lee repeated the words Gai had sagely told him earlier as he had cried into his shirt for the second time.

Gai, after throwing the bags back into the car, led them to large building the younger had never noticed before just behind the club. The outside marked it as some sort of apartment complex, much like the one Lee lived in, but instead of being run down it looked well kept and inviting. The inside of the apartment solidified that notion with it's warm cream walls and communal shoe rack to the right of the entrance. Already it felt like a home rather than a living space for strangers.

"Ah, wonderful it looks like everyone is home!," Gai exclaimed happily as he removed his own shoes and slipped on a pair of green slippers. "That means we can eat together! Come Lee, you can use the pink slippers here."

Gently placing his ratty sneakers beside Gai's shoes he put the offered slippers on and made his way into the complex. As they made their way further into the building, Lee realized that the layout of the apartment was drastically different than what he was used to seeing in communal housing. The main floor, for example, was like it's own house with an open floor plan that allowed for a luxurious kitchen and living room to coexist in the large area beyond the entrance hall.

"We were very fortunate when we purchased Paradise," Gai explained as Lee continued to look around the pleasantly decorated room, "it also came with the apartment which, before Kakashi and I fixed it up, was originally a large artists loft. We turned it into the complex so that we could house our employees if they did not have anywhere to go."

"That is very admirable Gai," Lee awed as his esteem for Gai grew even more. "You truly are an amazing person!"

"Why thank you Lee! Now let us prepare dinner, is there anything specific that you wish to eat?," The shiny haired male questioned as he moved into the spacious kitchen.

"I am not a picky eater so it does not matter to me!," Lee chirped, more than content with whatever the other had been planning to make.

"Surely there must be something!," The larger male insisted.

"Well….I do like curry a great deal?," his pleasant voice raised turning the remark into a question.

"YOSH, THEN CURRY WE SHALL HAVE!" Gai excitedly agreed, throwing Lee a wink and a thumbs up.

As the two men prepared dinner the other occupants of the apartment slowly made their way down to the communal living space. Lee had been pleasantly surprised to see Sai descending the staircase at the far end of the living room, which was apparently a mutual feeling if the widening of the other's generally cold eyes was anything to go by. The pale teen made an immediate b-line for the kitchen after he spotted his companion and spent the rest of the time the duo was cooking seated on the granite counter chatting with the shorter male. Kakashi and Shikamaru joined a little later as the three were setting the table, both choosing to seat themselves at rather than expend any energy in helping them.

Just as everyone was preparing to eat the delicious smelling curry, footsteps could be heard leisurely coming down the stairs. Turning to great whoever it was, the words died in Lee's mouth as he locked eyes with Itachi. Dream Itachi's voice hissed in Lee's mind as he recalled the harsh words his subconscious had conjured up the night before: _You know nothing of hardship._ Closing his eyes tightly to dispel any lingering images, obsidian orbs opened once more to refocus on the older male. _Remember, you can not judge him because of your own fears._ With that in mind Lee opened his mouth once more in an attempt to offer a welcoming greeting, aiming to show the other that despite their rocky start he still desired to be friends. As if suspecting such an occurrence, Itachi raised his hand to halt the raven's remark.

"I seriously can't stand this any longer," the deep, cold voice cut through the hush of the room. Itachi's piercing eyes shuttered closed for a brief moment before reopening in narrowed slits. A drawn out sigh filled the silence as the tall male seemed to brace himself for what he was about to do.

"I must clarify something," The uncharacteristically tense male started. "While I did not make the best first impression, I just wanted to let you know that I am not holding a grudge against you. If what Sai says about you is true," at this Sai shot the other a harsh glare, already impassive face eerily cold, as if challenging him to doubt his words, "which I am extremely inclined to trust, then I know now that you had no ill intentions when you asked me about my brother." Everyone seemed to be sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting for the other to continue as he paused to relax his stiff shoulders.

"Let's start again, hmm? I'm Itachi and it's a pleasure to meet you," he finished as he extended a long, thin hand.

Lee couldn't control the face splitting smile that formed at the elder's words, the despair that had overwhelmed him at the earlier denial rapidly being replaced with extreme optimism. Pushing back his chair at a startling pace, Lee ran around the table ignoring the outstretched arm in favour of wrapping the unprepared male in a bone crushing hug.

"Hello Itachi, my name is Rock Lee and I hope that we can be great friends!"

Sai's unexpected chuckle after taking in Itachi's shocked face trigged an all out laughing fit which quickly dissolved into loud, uncontrollable guffaws on Gai's part and an inconsolable Sai on the floor. What pleased Lee most of all was that despite Itachi's initial discomfort, he eventually relaxed into the youth's hold, gently laughing along with everyone else seemingly at ease with what had transpired. It was in that moment Lee knew, indisputably, that everything was going to be alright and that, with these people, it could only get better. _I was right,_ Lee hummed to himself as he took his seat at the full dining table, _today was most definitely an adventure._

* * *

Here's a longer chapter as a sort of apology for how long it has taken me to update this poor thing.

I bet you thought it was going to be a fun light hearted chapter with Lee trying on ridiculous outfits and having a grand old time.

Well surprise! Have some sad Lee instead!

I'd like to thank everyone that has continued to follow this story despite the long break in-between chapters. I really love and appreciate all of your dedication and enjoy seeing all the lovely comments this little story gets!


	13. Working up to it

Guess whose back

That's right, my brief ass winter break has finally allowed me some time to update this thing.

I told you i'd be irregular as fuck with these updates, but here we are.

Nothing but this disaster belongs to me! Enjoy!

* * *

Dinner ended up being an extremely pleasing event. After everyone calmed down, and Sai had gotten off the floor with his blank expression in place once again, Gai served the meal to the occupants of the table. Lighthearted chatter between the six coworkers broke was comfortable and abundant throughout dinner, everyone laughing and smiling as if this was a regular occurrence. Lee swore that he had never in his life had anything more delicious than the curry the duo had prepared. _This is what it must be like to share a meal with a family,_ Lee concluded as he looked around at all of the people that had come to mean so much to him. When Lee was still at the orphanage one of the first letters Tenten had sent him spent a long time just describing the first family meal she had shared with her new parents. The brunette couldn't emphasize enough how the food tasted so much better than anything she had ever had in her young life. Lee had never understood how leaving the orphanage made food taste better and even when he finally left everything had tasted much the same (to his disappointment). Even around his friends things had been mostly the same, if not more fighting between Naruto and anyone he tried to snatch food from. It got to the point that the dark skinned male believed that Tenten's parents must have been exceptional cooks (even though the few meals Tenten had invited him to would say otherwise). However, as he ate the mouth watering curry he couldn't help but to recall his friends words. _Tenten was right,_ Lee thought as he smiled to himself, _food really does taste better when you are with people who feel like true family._

After plates were emptied and stomaches were filled Lee volunteered to wash the dishes, as a thanks for having him over which, in his opinion, was the _least_ he could do. While Gai tried to wave off the offer, insisting that as a guest he had already done far too much, Sai cut his refusal short as he extended his assistance. Gai countered with insisting that Lee had to stay the night at least, since it was, according to him, _"much too late Lee, we can not have my precious Lotus leaving at such an hour!"_ Despite his protests, he had some how been set up with a pair of loose fitting pyjamas and a tooth brush, along with the promise of sharing Sai's room for the night. After sending a quick text to inform his friends of the change in plans, Sai and him set off to start the small chore.

Once the sinks were filled they fell into an easy routine of washing and drying. The rest of the houses' occupants had presumably returned to their rooms, leaving the two dark haired teens alone to do the simple chore. The sounds of water sloshing and the clinking of dishes was the only thing that broke the amicable silence. As much as he loved his friends, there was never a silent moment between them (unless it was just him and the mostly silent Gaara). While Lee enjoyed being surrounded by the constant conversation the small group produced, he could also appreciate moments such as the one Sai and him were currently sharing. As Lee washed the dirty plates, his mind freely wandered, the repetitive action lulling him into a pleasant void. He reflected on the past week of his life, smiling at the ups and the downs and how much things had already changed for the better. Lee handed Sai another plate and they shared a small smile. _One day I will tell Sai just how much his assistance has meant to me,_ Lee vowed as he resumed his washing.

Drifting back into his mind he found himself fixating on one memory in particular. This wasn't a new fixation either, ever since it had occurred Lee had replayed the scene in his mind on multiple occasions. _I am g-gay…..I am gay…I am._ No matter how hard he tried to move past it, his thoughts kept bringing him back to the moment he had finally spoken aloud the words he had so adamantly retained as his most closely guarded secret. That moment both empowered Lee and terrified him. To finally admit it to someone was like finally finding all of the pieces to a complex puzzle. Lee had become whole and the picture his puzzle made was beautiful. He loved that feeling and what it meant. However, while Gai had taken it extremely well, Lee was still afraid of how others would react to his sexuality. He knew, from experience, that being different wasn't the best way to make or keep friends. It was this fear that continued to conflict the young man. On the one hand, he really wanted to tell his friends this information he had kept secret for so long and remove that barrier he had created. On the other hand…. he shuddered to think of it. _What if they are disgusted? What if they can not even look at me anymore. I do not…know if I can handle that._ The increasing negativity of his thoughts must have showed on his face because Sai's monotone timbre finally pierced the silence.

"You need to relax your eyebrows before they get permanently stuck together like that" he chided without a hint of emotion inflecting his voice.

"Y-yosh! I am sorry I was just….concentrating very hard on making this plate sparkling clean!" the other teen diverted as he scrubbed harder at the already clean dish. _I do not want to bother Sai with my problems, he has already done more than enough for me._

"I thought we had already moved passed this," the fair skinned male sighed as he swiped the plate from Lee's slippery hands. "I know you do not think your problems are worth listening to but I do. So," ebony eyes met in a serious stare, "do tell."

"I…it is…" Lee trailed off, breaking eye contact with his well meaning friend. "It is hard to…talk about. I-I have not had much practice…in speaking about it."

Lee whipped his head back towards his friend as the realization of how his words sounded hit him.

"THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT I DO NOT WISH TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU," he shouted as he waved his hands in front of his face. "I do very much want to tell you but I do not know were to begin and I am worried that you will view me differently after I tell you an—"

"I am bisexual leaning more towards men."

"—d so I….w-what!?" Lee's fumbling rant halted at his friend's sudden admission.

"Well, I would say i'm more or less neutral in general, but when I do find myself attracted to others it does tend to be men more often than not," Sai clarified, his expression never changing.

"I…how did you k-know?" Lee questioned when he finally caught on to what Sai was doing.

"You aren't the first person i've talked through coming out," the older male confided as he put the final dish away. Returning his full attention to Lee, Sai grabbed his friend's trembling hands, steadying them in his own. "I have found that it's easier when I tell them my sexuality first."

"I….I…" Lee took a deep breath and closed his eyes. _I can do this, I can do this, I can._ Obsidian orbs opened once more and focused on the serene, un-judging face of his coworker. "I too….like men."

"Thank you for sharing that with me Lee," He sincerely acknowledged what he knew was a monumental admission on his friends' part. One of Sai's rare genuine smiles graced his features as he pulled the shorter into a hug. "Doesn't that feel much better?"

" Yosh! I can not begin to tell you how thankful I am Sai!" Lee buried his face further into his friends chest as he held back tears of relief. The second time had been just as overwhelming as the first, Lee realized. He felt a rush of adrenaline surge through him, making his feel powerful and giddy. The more he said it out loud, the more he truly felt like he was finally acknowledging all of himself. It was a wonderful feeling.

The two friends parted from their embrace, the smaller beaming at the taller.

"Now what else has been bothering you," Sai continued, signalling that this discussion was not over.

Despite the blunt delivery, Lee was pleasantly surprised at his friends concern. Warmth filled his chest at the realization. _Sai really does care about me._ The thought had his smile softening and his unease dissipating. Lee's resolve solidified, he would talk freely to his friend about his worries.

"Sai, what is the best way to tell someone your sexuality?"

"You mean coming out of the closet," Sai paused for a moment and contemplated the question. "There really isn't one best way. You just have to do what feels right to you."

"While I appreciate the advice…I do not know what… er, as you said, 'feels right to me'," Lee admitted shyly as he fiddled with the end of his braid.

"You just have to practice," Sai nodded to himself as an idea formed. "Come on let's go."

Reaching out to the other male, the pale teen grabbed a tanned hand and started pulling the other to the stairs at the back of the room. When they reached the second floor, the pair stopped outside of the second door in the long hallway. Sai gently knocked twice and crossed his arms as he waited for the occupant to emerge.

"When you say practice what exactly do you mean?" Lee asked nervously as footsteps could be heard from inside the room.

Before Sai could answer, Shikamaru's spikey haired head emerged from the slightly opened door.

"I was trying to sleep, how troublesome," he drawled as his eyes lazily focused on Lee, one eyebrow raised expectantly.

"Lee has something to tell you," Sai informed helpfully as the youngest male remained silent.

"…I!" Lee took a stuttering breath in as Sai nudged him from behind. _So this is what he meant by practice!_ Lee panicked internally as he felt his face heat up.

Silence once again engulfed the hallway as the long haired youth tried to get the nerve to repeat the words he had spoken not even minutes prior.

"….This is taking too long, i'm going back to sleep," Shikamaru yawned and began to shut the door, no longer willing to wait for the other to speak.

"NO WAIT!" Lee shouted, startling himself and the chocolate haired teen as he rushed forward and grabbed the door's frame.

"I just…I j-just wanted to," Lee stuttered as dark eyes, which looked uncharacteristically interested, bore into his own. "I…I…I-I aM GAY!" he scrunched up his face as he practically yelled out his confession.

"Good to know, now i'm going back to sleep," Shikamaru deadpanned, completely ignoring the awkward atmosphere that had been building. He gently removed Lee's hand from the door, giving the soft appendage a brief squeeze, before shutting it behind him.

"See, easy," Sai stated as he patted Lee's back.

"He…He did not even react," Lee awed as he cradled his hand to his chest. "He just accepted it….well at least I believe that he was accepting of it."

"Coming from Shikamaru, that was practically a full-blown cuddle session. He doesn't concern himself with such things very often. Too much effort," the short haired male explained. "As long as you don't involve him, he's fine with anything. Now why don't you try one more?"

"Y-Yosh!" Lee exclaimed, clenching his fist in determination. "I will do my best!"

Feeling confident, the thin male walked over to the door just beside Shikamaru's and vigorously knocked. He really wanted to feel completely at ease with confessing his sexuality so that he could finally come out to his friends. Which, he was discerning, might go better than he previously anticipated. _If my coworkers, whom I have known for less time than my dear friends, are all accepting of my sexuality than perhaps the gang will handle it just as well,_ Lee desperately hoped. Much faster than the previous encounter, the door opened almost immediately following his knock. The tall, graceful figure of Itachi entered the hallway completely, closing his door behind him. Lee felt his confidence drop slightly. While they had officially started their acquaintance over, they were not very familiar with each other and Lee still had some lingering hesitations.

"What can I help you two with?" Itachi prompted, his keen eyes moving between the duo.

While he looked alert, Lee was happy to note that he no longer looked on edge like during their previous encounters. His posture was relaxed as he leaned cooly against the wall and crossed his arms. His dark hair was once again pulled into a loose ponytail, but instead of the club attire had had been wearing during supper, he was now in a snug black wife-beater and a pair of soft grey sweatpants. Overall, he seemed much more approachable and open which was enough to kick Lee into action. He could do this.

"I wanted," Lee began before he lost his courage, "to tell you that I am interested in men." Lee did a small fist pump to himself, proud of his ability to say it so smoothly this time around. _I am steadily improving! Sai's method is really working,_ he internally cheered.

Itachi didn't respond for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the teen in front of him. Lee started to feel uncomfortable as all Itachi continued to do was stare at him with no response forthcoming. Gradually something in the other's expression shifted, his sharp gaze turning to something Lee couldn't quite place. If he had to guess, he would say it looked soft around the edges but still hard and intense in a way that Lee was not used to.

"Are you telling me this because you're interested," Itachi's deep baritone practically purred as he pushed away from the wall.

Lee gaped at the unexpected turn of events, not sure what had just occurred to bring out this side of Itachi. A not so helpful part of his brain reminded him of the full body shiver that had been prompted by that dark voice, which he totally did **_not_** enjoy. Not at all (though his flaming face may say otherwise). Lee was snapped back to reality when a hand loosely grabbed his long braid. At some point during his mild panic, Itachi had closed the distance between them and was now holding the end of his braid up to his lips.

"I generally don't go for anyone younger than me," Itachi began, voice husky and warm as the braided hair slipped out of his hands in what must have been a practiced manner because of how smooth and suave it looked, "but…why should I waste something that has been so beautifully offered to me?" His eyes seductively swept over Lee's frozen form as he tenderly ran a hand down the younger's back to rest just above the curve of his ass. The older male licked his full lips when he finally re-established eye contact, adding in a wink for good measure. "Don't you agree?

Lee was certain he had actually died at some point before arriving at the Paradise apartment complex because there was no way this was his life. He wanted desperately to break eye contact with Itachi but at the same time he couldn't break away from the oddly sweet embrace he found himself in. He had always been prone to physical affection from the people he cared about, and this was no exception. A hiss of pain had Lee jolting out of his stupor as he turned to see Sai pinching the hand that was no longer resting on the dark skinned male's lower back.

"Itachi, we both know you are not foolish enough to actually believe that was Lee's intention, don't we?" Sai asked in a sickeningly sweet voice, his face pulled in a frighteningly threatening smile. "Now shall we take this a bit more seriously, hmm?"

Itachi chuckled as his hand was released from Sai's vice like grip. "Yes, you are right, we should be taking this seriously." Itachi focused on Lee once more, the predatory glint in his eyes replaced with fondness. "I'm glad that even after our less than ideal start that you would trust me enough to share this information. Thank you Lee and i'm sorry for playing around at a time like this."

Lee relaxed at the sincerity behind Itachi's words. He couldn't help but chuckle along at the small joke his new friend had played.

"Do not worry! I did not believe that you would seriously consider being with someone such as myself," he easily waved off, knowing that someone like Itachi could never like someone as unconfident as Lee. "But I am most grateful to you for listening to my confession!"

"I'm always happy to help," Itachi smiled warmly at the shorter teen. "If that's all, i'm going to go back to my room." The tall male nodded at the other men and headed into his room. The door was almost closed before Itachi's head popped back out. "Oh, and Lee?"

Lee, whom had been heading to Sai's room, turned at the sudden question.

"Yes Itachi?" he asked as he titled his head in slight confusion.

"I forgot to mention that i'm also interested in men," Itachi informed, a shared smile passing between them. The elder's smile stretched into an enigmatic smirk as he once again disappeared behind his door.

Puzzled, Lee shook it off and continued to Sai's room. Just before he closed the door he hear the distinct sound of Itachi's voice float down the hall.

"Oh, and let's not forget that I would most definitely be interested in someone just like you."

Lee was sure he had never blushed so hard in his life.

* * *

Comments are always appreciated and I still can't believe just how many of you have left comments or liked this little story.

I can't promise anymore updates soon, but just know that I haven't given up on this fic! Feedback is always welcome, I love to hear your opinions!


	14. Why Do I Do This to Myself

I present to you an update!

I should be sleeping because I have an early class tomorrow, but I just really wanted to post a quick chapter to keep this story going.

Naruto does not belong to me because if it did it would just about how much everyone loves Lee!

* * *

Lee gently closed Sai's door behind him, face still radiating heat from Itachi's words. He knew that the elder was joking, but he was still not accustom to anyone being so forward with him. **_Especially_** _someone as attractive as Itachi,_ he thought as he fanned his burning face. Lee could admit that to himself now that they were no longer on bad terms. And oh boy was Itachi ever handsome. From his slightly muscular build, to his strong jaw, Itachi was prime example of what Tenten had termed "boyfriend material" (a phrase she had used quite often whenever she talked about Neji). And if a small part of him preened under the false attention he had received from such an attractive man, well that was neither here nor there. Not that Lee was particularly interested in dating the other male, he really hadn't given dating much thought in general. Having struggled with his own sexuality for most of his teenage years and then everything that had happened when he left Saint Kage's, he didn't have much time to concern himself with anything of the romantic variety. _That is not entirely true,_ his brain traitorously supplied, _there is a certain redhead you can not seem to stop thinking about._ Lee felt his face ignite in a furious blush once again. He was most definitely not ready to explore that train of thought. When Sai's voice cut through the air Lee readily accepted the much needed distraction.

"What did I say, Itachi likes to tease," the pale male chuckled emotionlessly, fake smile not quite reaching his eyes. "Expect more of that in the future. The more he likes you the less boundaries he has."

"Yosh! I will be sure to prepare myself for any teasing he may do in the future," Lee promised seriously, mock saluting to complete the vow.

Sai patted the space beside him on his bed, a silent invitation for the teen to sit down.

"So what did you think of my method?" Sai asked as Lee made himself comfortable.

"At first I was very nervous," the younger answered honestly after a moment of consideration, "I had only told you and Gai before and, although you both were very accepting, I did not know what to expect from the others…"

Lee worried his friend's blanket between his tan hands, head tilted down and gaze focused on his actions. "I….I still have not informed any of my close friends about…my orientation," he quietly confessed after several minutes of silence. "Ever since I told Gai, it has been my desire to tell them, truly it has…but I could not help but think of them rejecting me. I am still afraid that they will find me d-disgusting. But I have been so lucky recently. Everyone has been so kind to me and I have never felt more comfortable or safe," a small smile tugged at the dark haired male's mouth as he finally looked his friend in the eye. "You gave me the push I needed, and for that I am truly thankful my friend."

"Anytime Lee," Sai answered sincerely, his stoic expression soft and open. "For what it's worth, I think you should have some more faith in your friends. Not everyone's going to mistreat you, trust me."

"I am finding that that is becoming more true as the days go on," Lee laughed softly at his friend's advice. "You are right, my friends are all wonderful people and I must not doubt their affections for me any longer," he nodded to himself as he clenched his fist. "I will tell them tomorrow or I will learn every routine at Paradise!"

"Let's not get carried away now, shall we?"

*~~Timeskip~~* *~~Timeskip~~*

Despite Sai's warning, Lee organized a get together with all his friends for the following afternoon. He had still been riding the high he had received from telling his coworkers, and so felt confident that this was the best plan of action. He had texted the group before he went to bed, informing them that he had some wonderful news to share with them and he would be most grateful if they could all get together to share in this delightful event. The young male had confidently left the next day as well, giving everyone a parting hug and thanking Gai profusely for everything he had done for him. He felt practically invincible. Today was going to be one of the best Lee had ever had, he was sure of it. Nothing could stop him!

 _Maybe it was unwise to say that so soon_ , he lamented as he stood outside Naruto and Sasuke's large house, shaking slightly as he wiped clammy hands on his worn jeans. He had been fine until the looming mansion had come into view. Then he had begun to panic. His thoughts had slowly spiralled from _I am so happy that I am finally telling my friends something so important to me,_ to, _I really hope that they do not hate me forever after this._ He just was debating whether or not to book it and tell his friends that something had come up, when the front door opened to reveal Naruto's familiar face.

"Come on Bushy Brows, you know you can just come in!" the blonde admonished as he yanked Lee inside. "Everyone's waiting, Tenten brought snacks and everything!"

Lee's voice stuck in his throat as the hyper male rushed them up the stairs, his panic steadily rising with every step. He could barely hear a word of what the other male was chatting about, he was too focused on the alarming thumping of his own heart that seemed to have relocated to his ears. _I should have listened to Sai,_ was the constant mantra running through his mind. They reached Naruto's room in what felt like a blink of an eye, much too fast in Lee's opinion, and Naruto unceremoniously threw open to door. The comfortable chatter halted at their arrival, dashing Lee's hope that they had forgotten about his message. All of them had gathered in a tight circle on the Blonde's floor, something they did when they were expecting to have a long conversation. Lee was certain his heart had stopped. _The last time we sat like this it was because I was leaving Saint Kage's,_ he fleetingly thought.

"Come over here Lee," Tenten instructed as she gestured to the empty space beside her.

"Well actually I—" Lee stopped himself before he could make a flimsy excuse, biting his bottom lip roughly in the process. "Y-Yosh."

He made his way across the small formation, avoiding the eyes he could feel focused on him. He sat down gently, trying to prolong the inevitable, before he finally looked at all of his friends. However, everyone seemed to have relaxed, returning to their previous conversations as they passed out the snacks the brunette had brought.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Tenten asked lightly, not quite picking up on Lee's turmoil as she opened a bag of chips. "It seemed like you had something exciting to talk about!"

"I-I…um I guess…it is…exciting, that is," he finished lamely, cursing himself for slipping up so bad. He had been given a rare opportunity when Tenten didn't immediately drill him when he sat down and he had destroyed his only chance of using it. He knew Tenten would notice his odd behaviour. She never missed a thing when it came to his emotions.

"Woah, are you okay Lee? Did something bad happen?" That seemed to be enough for everyone to once again stop what they were doing and focus on Lee.

"N-No! Nothing bad happened at all, in fact everything has been splendid and I have been enjoying myself so very much!" he quickly denied, getting more flustered as he continued to rant, "I had a lovely time with my coworkers yesterday and had the most delicious curry I have ever tasted in my life, and did you know that if you wash carrots under—"

"Okay I get it, yesterday was a good time for you, what's going on?" Tenten interrupted, eyebrows scrunched in concern.

Lee could feel himself break into a cold sweat, his hands even more clammy than when he had been dumbly standing on Naruto's front steps. He knew, beyond a single doubt, that every one of his friends was staring intently at him now. Lee could feel their eyes burning his skin, making him shiver at the intensity of their gazes. He wanted nothing more than to get up and run until his legs gave out on him. _Maybe I can,_ he began to convince himself, _I would only have to get past Hinata and she does not have the best reflexes. If I just jump over her—._ Lee's phone trilled softly indicating he had a text. Looking down at the device he had placed in front of him, the screen flashed to briefly display the message he had received.

' _Good luck'_ —Sai

The dark skinned male felt himself inexplicably relax at the simple words of encouragement. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes tightly. _I can do this._

"I-I do have something I would like to tell you, "He began, still not looking at the group of people he considered to be his closest friends. "I w-will not ask you to promise me anything because it is not fair of me to do so, but I hope that you will at least listen to everything I have to say."

"Jesus B.B, it sounds like you're about to tell us you're dying or something!" Naruto joked, trying to break the tension.

"Y-you aren't really d-dying, are you?" Hinata looked on the verge of tears.

"NO!" Lee half shouted half gasped as he awkwardly lunged himself forward to grab the purple haired girl's hands. "I AM MOST YOUTHFUL AND WILL LIVE FOR A VERY LONG TIME!"

Tenten started to laugh uproariously at the ridiculous turn of events, everyone following soon after. Even Lee couldn't stop the steady chuckles that joined in the din. Straightening back up, he relaxed his body the best he could as the laughter dissipated. Everyone waited patiently as Lee took a few more calming breaths before speaking once more.

"I have been wanting to tell all of you this for a very long time, but I did not know how until recently," he explained, voice wavering slightly as his nerves began to catch up with him. "I…that is…well I am…I…am—"

"Gay," Gaara's gravely baritone supplied.

The room went completely silent.

* * *

Yes I left you with a cliff hanger.

Not updating in forever and then doing this, I'm just horrible.

Oh and I felt that I should just clear something up about the previous chapter because it seemed like some people thought my treatment of Lee coming out was harsh. When I wrote Lee "practising" coming out in that manner it was not meant to be a blanket guide on how to come out. I personally believe that Lee is the kind of person that needs to be pushed to do things; if he has some sort of motivation then he feels like what he's doing must be accomplished. So Sai knowing this gave a challenge to Lee that he could accomplish in a safe environment with people he trusts. I would also just like to say that I know someone who the only way they could come out was when asked upfront. It gave them the courage to openly speak about it, and while this doesn't work for everyone it does help in some cases. Lee was at the point in my fic where he was comfortable with himself and wanted to speak openly about his sexuality but needed help pushing himself to that place. Hopefully that clears up some misunderstandings.

As always comments are greatly appreciated and I hope you enjoy!


	15. Just let it Out

Here I am, another update for you guys. Didn't want to leave you hanging for too long.

Nothing belongs to me but this story right here. Enjoy!

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The first time Lee became aware of his sexuality was at the age of seven. Like most young children, it had been a simple thought that held no real significance at the time. The realization (which really was not much of a realization given his age) had followed a lesson on the sanctity of marriage and what happy matrimony consisted of. While the Nuns were quick to stress the importance of the union being between husband and wife (the "only" went without saying) Lee's focus had already drifted to day dreaming the lovely imagined scene. At first he pictured an older Lee, (undoubtably handsome the child added for good measure) fashioned in a dashing suit waiting for his wife to walk down the aisle. Except, young Lee noted with some confusion, that didn't seem quite right. He couldn't bring himself to put a face to his pretend bride despite how hard he tried. Every time he imagined one of the females he had heard the other kids describe as beautiful or pretty, something just seemed wrong. Without giving it much thought, Lee reimagined the scene with himself taking on the role of bride, a handsome man waiting for him instead. That was much more agreeable to the child. And that had been it, no panicking or worrying, just a simple day dream that ended as soon as the Nuns moved on to a different topic. It wasn't until several years later that he learned how much his preferences would set him apart.

Lee was twelve when the realities of his situation hit. He had been spending more time with the redheaded boy who had helped him at the park, slowly getting to know his quiet new friend. Gaara, he was quickly learning, was unsociable at the best of times due to his own isolation. While normally a hindrance when attempting to make friends, the younger's stoic nature surprisingly meshed perfectly with Lee's never ending chatter. Neither were especially versed in making friends, Lee having two and Gaara having his siblings, but they somehow made it work. Lee loved the time he spent with his new friend. Gaara never got upset no matter how much he tended to prattle on (which was a lot) and actively listened to everything the former had to say. He had been worried at first that Gaara was ignoring him and didn't want to talk, but soon realized the younger's dislike for wasteful speech (which for some reason he did not mind with Lee) meant he only spoke when he had something meaningful to say. That just meant that when the redhead did speak Lee listened intently in turn, eager to hear the other's contribution. It was a good set up.

However, it was during this time that Lee's feelings for the other also grew. At first it started as simple, harmless thoughts like "Gaara has such blue eyes!" and "The colour of his hair is so unique, I wish I could have such a nice colour as well!". These thoughts slowly morphed from less neutral observations to more personal, albeit innocent, notes. It began with "Gaara has a truly handsome face, so strong and masculine" and somehow ended up as "I wish I could hug Gaara more often, his arms always feel so nice wrapped around me". Despite this, Lee still didn't think much of these new thoughts. In fact, it wasn't until months after the thoughts on his friend had become just another part of him that he began to question his feelings.

The Nuns had taken it upon themselves to gather all of the young males in one of the smaller classrooms in the orphanage one early October day. Lee had been confused, seeing as the first lesson of the day was supposed to be in the other wing of the building, but obediently followed behind the small gaggle of kids. They were quickly ushered into the class, an unfamiliar Priest standing at the front of the room watching with a neutral expression as they sat themselves at the small desks. When the Nuns left, the Priest cleared his throat loudly before delving into one of the most awkward speeches Lee had ever heard in his young life. The old, unfriendly looking priest had apparently been tasked with giving the young males at the orphanage a brief, and highly censored run down of puberty. The "lesson" mostly consisted of the older man emphasizing how the greatest sins any of them could ever commit were pre-marital sex, sexual thoughts or urges, and above all else homosexuality. While the other sins had been touched upon by the Nuns in other lessons, Lee had never really heard the last explained in any detail before. It had been mentioned every now and then in passing amongst some of the Nuns, but they had never really taken the time to speak on the subject. Needless to say, the sheer animosity and disgust put into the Priest's rant on the perverse and ungodly sin that was someone being attracted to the same gender, frightened Lee to his very core. After they were dismissed, Lee tried his hardest not to immediately bolt from the room, an action he knew would highlight his guilt even more than his quivering body and watery eyes already did. Instead he quietly slipped away from the group and made his way to the rose bushes he liked to hide in when everything became a little too much. As soon as he was hunched amongst the familiar thorned branches, a pitiful sob escaped trembling lips as fat tears rolled down chubby cheeks. Lee didn't leave the bushes until well after the sun had set. No one seemed to notice his absence.

After that day, the preteen vowed to repress any "un-pure" feelings or thoughts he had had (especially about a certain redhead). He was already hated for his unusual appearance and mannerisms, he wasn't going to add on to his already unfavourable position. Not if he could help it, at least. And if that meant stopping himself from embracing a certain redhead for too long and avoiding prolonged eye contact, well that was merely coincidental.

It was surprisingly easy for Lee to ignore his problems, that is until he no longer had the pressure of the orphanage constantly looming over his shoulders. In the silence of his small flat, away from the fear of prying eyes, he could no longer avoid the feelings he had been repressing for so long. To say it was a quick process would be a monumental fallacy. It took many a sleepless night spent wallowing in self loathing, and more then his fair share of tears before Lee could grudgingly acknowledge his sexuality. From there it became a matter of working past the negative feelings he associated with being gay, not to mention the sheer amount of guilt he felt whenever he thought about men in a less than platonic way. Months passed in the blink of an eye, Lee spent more of his time job hunting and less time worrying about his sexual preferences. Before he knew it, he found himself the newest employee at the world's most fantastic job, which improved his own feelings by leaps and bounds. From the first jumbled confession to Gai in the small office at Paradise to the more solid talk with Sai, Lee had come so far from the scared and hurt child trapped in the oppressive halls of Saint Kage's orphanage. He couldn't be more proud of himself (another feeling he wasn't used to but was finding he enjoyed greatly).

At this moment though, he felt none of the confidence he had worked so very hard to build these past months. In fact, he had never felt more like his old self as his friends continued to silently stare. He could feel cold beads of sweat trailing down the back of his neck as he desperately avoided eye contact. _Stupid_ , was the only thing his fried brain could consistently conjure as he nervously bunched his hands in the already rumpled material of his jeans. He could feel his eyes welling with tears he really didn't want to shed. Not anymore at least, not over the one thing he had finally began to fully accept about himself. He had just hoped his closest friends would have accepted it too. Despite it all, he couldn't blame Gaara for his untimely outburst. The dark skinned male had always known his friend to be observant, especially when it came to himself, and so the knowledge of the redhead knowing his sexuality was not really all that surprising. Not to mention, Gaara still being socially inept, most likely saw Lee struggling to confess as his inability to form the right words rather than the internal struggle it was. So, to Gaara, the best way that he could help Lee out was to say the words himself. All in all, the pale teen was just trying to be a good friend, something Lee couldn't fault.

A loud smack rang through the eerily silent room, snapping Lee's gaze away from the clenched fists in his lap as he flinched at the sound. He was shocked to see a violently red hand print forming on Gaara's pale cheek as Tenten glared furiously at the unfazed male.

"Gaara you can't just say that!" The brunette hissed out through gritted teeth. "That's not your information to share you insensitive idiot!"

Lee hadn't seen Tenten so furious since their time in the orphanage together. She had almost the exact same look on her face as when she would catch the other kids hurting him, which was an extremely intimidating scowl that no one else could pull off quite as well as the normally sunny girl. Tenten was taking heaving breaths, clearly trying her hardest to calm her rising anger. She quickly turned to face the rest of the small group, who were opening gaping at the violent scene that had just unfolded. While they were accustomed to friendly smacks, always done jokingly and without any heat behind them, they were definitely not used to such serious blows.

"If any, and I mean absolutely _any_ of you say anything negative about this I swear I will not hesitate to beat you beyond recognition," were the menacing words that Tenten practically spit at her once best of friends. Lee knew from her steely glare, and chillingly icy tone, that what Tenten said was not an idle threat but a promise. "I don't care how long we've known each other, Lee is my best friend and I will _not_ stand for him being treated like crap."

Surprising himself, Lee somehow found enough of his voice to haltingly attempt to calm his friend down. "Tenten…i-it is alright. I a—"

"NO! It's _not_ alright, Lee! I won't let them do this to you, you don't deserve to be ridiculed for something you have no damn control over!" Tenten shouted, nearing hysterical as she grabbed slender shoulders with deceptively strong hands. Brown eyes pleaded with obsidian orbs, desperately trying to stop her friend from once again brushing off his hurt feelings in favour of appeasing everyone else. "Please, just let me do this for you, let me stand with you this one god damn time," she whispered the last bit as she choked back tears of her own.

"I'm with Tenten," Naruto agreed as he made his way over to the pair, his usually jovial voice extremely serious. "If any of you have a problem you come to me, cause I'm not letting anyone make BB feel like shit."

The atmosphere in the room was suffocating. No one seemed to know how to respond to the alarmingly hostile brunette and blonde that were shielding the black haired teen from their unwanted gawking. Gaara continued to sit motionlessly, his face completely blank. Neji was flat out refusing to even look in their direction, his eyebrows knit together as he harshly bit his bottom lip. Sasuke opted to keep his eyes closed as he crossed his arms tightly, his face pulled in annoyance. No one said anything. Each moment that passed in silence became more tense then the last.

Hinata on the other hand was a complete mess, her expression torn between terrified and worried. This was apparently too much for the violet haired girl, because she soon broke out into loud sobs which she promptly tried to speak through. "I-I-I c..ould n-never h-hate y-you!" she hiccuped as she scrubbed furiously at her still falling tears.

Neji tsked angrily as he abruptly stood up, Tenten and Naruto instantly becoming alert at his sudden move sending twin glares in his direction. "Sexuality has absolutely nothing to do with wether or not I consider you a friend, I can't believe you'd even think that. How insulting," he spat as he ran his hand through his long hair. "And you two," he pointed at Tenten and Naruto angrily, "need to calm the hell down. I understand your concern, but you'd think we were some irrational bigots the way your acting!"

"Their fears are not unfound considering how Lee has been ridiculed the majority of his life," Gaara stated calmly, seemingly still unfazed by the events unfolding.

"What!?" Neji turned on the redhead at his confession.

"Oh for fuck's sake! Gaara what did I just say about sharing information that isn't yours to give!" Tenten gritted out as she rubbed her temple in irritation.

"What do you mean by ridiculed," Sasuke questioned, his face no longer pinched in anger.

"Oi, bastard this isn't the time!" Naruto yelled gruffly as he smacked his adopted brother on the shoulder.

"I think now's the perfect time," Neji countered, clearly not amused by the lack of shared information.

"Seriously guys, back off!" Tenten threatened.

"Or what, you'll 'beat us beyond recognition'," Neji mocked.

"How dare yo—"

"PLEASE STOP!" Lee's clear, loud voice efficiently silenced the room's occupants. "I do not want you to fight," he quickly confessed, faltering slightly as all eyes turned to him. "I do not like seeing you like this. Tenten, Naruto," he began as he looked his two oldest friends in the eyes, "I can not begin to thank you for always standing up for me. It warms my heart to know you will always have my back in hard situations, and for that I am most grateful. However," Lee took a breath and closed his eyes tightly, "I do not think your actions towards our other friends are justified."

Before Tenten or Naruto could argue his statement, which Lee knew they were about to do, he continued. "While they did not say anything at the confession, they also did not say anything _negative_. I believe that they were just…surprised by the sudden…statement. So I think that we owe them an apology for our preconceived fears and reactions."

"I…." Tenten haltingly began, "when did you get so mature?" she asked in awe.

Lee opened his eyes to refocus on the brunette's half smile. Relief flooded his system as he saw a matching smile on Naruto's face. _Thank goodness._

"Lee's right….heh, we did kind of jump the gun didn't we?" Naruto chuckled as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh, just a little," Neji continued to glare at the sheepish looking duo, still unimpressed at their previous display of aggression.

"Dumbasses.." Sasuke added under his breath.

"Look…we're…really sorry but," Tenten looked at Lee for permission before she continued her explanation. "Saint Kage's wasn't exactly the most…tolerant of places. Kids can be mean, and well…in Lee's case, he's just too nice for his own good so he got the brunt of it. I know you guys know some of it but….let's just say it wasn't pretty"

"They are all idiots," the redhead sounded genuinely infuriated, if the harshness of his gravely voice was anything to go by.

"You're telling me," Naruto huffed in agreement.

"We just don't want Lee to have that happen again, and well…we kind of….jumped to conclusions a little bit?" Tenten concluded as she bumped her fingers together, gaze traveling everywhere but the other people in the room.

"You're forgiven….for now," Neji grudgingly assented as he lowered himself back into a seated position on the bedroom floor. "Now as for Lee being gay, we're obviously all okay with that, right?" Neji asked, voice sharp as if daring anyone to say otherwise.

"It would be hypocritical of me to be disgusted considering I too am interested in men," Gaara suddenly confessed, showing no visible reaction to the sudden attention that was thrown his way.

"W-what!?" Lee squeaked as he gaped at his long time friend. Apparently he didn't know the redhead as well as he had previously assumed.

"I'm gay," the pale teen deadpanned as everyone continued to stare at him.

"I-I'm attracted to w-women!" Hinata suddenly pitched in, face going violently red as heads snapped in her direction.

"IS THAT WHY YOU BROKE UP WITH KIBA!?" Naruto questioned loudly, filling in the blanks of the truth or dare confession.

"A-a-ah!" she stuttered before giving up and hiding her flaming face in her hands.

"Neji's at the very least bisexual," Sasuke smirked as he smoothly confessed the other's sexuality aloud.

"You bastard!" Neji practically yelled, voice rising as he glared at the unapologetic teen, pale face uncharacteristically flushed in embarrassment. "As if you have any right, considering you're in the same position as me."

"What is happening!?" Tenten frantically questioned as her eyes darted between all of her friends. "Is this just a day for confessions!? If it helps, i'm most definitely straight!"

Lee couldn't help the loud guffaw that escaped his trembling lips. How the situation had gone from tense to hilarious in such a short amount of time was truly baffling, but he couldn't help but find the humour in everything that had transpired. Covering his mouth, he tried to stifle his laughter but couldn't quite succeed. One by one, they joined in their friend's contagious chuckling, until they were all on the floor gasping for breath in-between uncontrollable laughter.

When they calmed down, Lee filled them in on the more unsavoury parts of his past. He was ready to speak more openly about Saint Kage's and even his struggles moving out. Like Gai had said, his friends listened avidly and openly, truly wanting to hear everything he had to say. It was a great feeling and it was even better when he finally spoke allowed the very things he had kept to himself for far too long. Eventually everyone began to share their own experiences, both good and bad, turning the day into a bonding experience they would fondly remembering in years to come. Lee had never been more thankful in his life for the friends that had slowly become his family.

* * *

There we go!

I had originally intended for this chapter and the previous to be one complete chapter. At first I wanted everyone to immediately react favourably to Lee's confession, but then I decided against it. I feel like this fic has been a bit too idealistic and, while this is still pretty damn accepting, I wanted to add in some more tension. I just couldn't bring myself to make any of the characters outright hate Lee so this is what I managed to do instead.

Thank you to everyone that has continued to read and comment on this fic, I really can't even tell you how happy your messages make me.

Comments and feedback are always welcome, but not expected!


	16. Gaara doesn't do Emotions

I have finally escaped from the hell that is school, which meant it was probably time to update this thing.

This chapter's going to be a bit different, seeing as it's from Gaara's point of view.

Once again, nothing belongs to me except for my questionable writing!

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Gaara watched as Lee waved enthusiastically from the dingy green door of his apartment. His impassive gaze tracked the movement of the delicate tanned hand emotionlessly, finally opting to raise his pale one in acknowledgement. This seemed to satisfy the elder male as a brilliant smile lit up his beautiful features, leaving Gaara at odds with the warmth spreading in his chest. It wasn't a comfortable feeling. His raised hand dropped to rub subconsciously at the ache in his chest, cerulean eyes trained on catching the last glimpse of Lee as he disappeared behind the ugly door. The ache continued to linger long after the door had shut with a sharp snip of the lock. Despite this, none of the inner turmoil reflected on the unwavering gaze of the alabaster teen. After a prolonged moment, Gaara turned and began the long walk back to his own place of residence.

To call it a home…was unfitting. While he did consider his siblings his family (something he would only acknowledge if asked directly), any house that was owned by his bastard of a father would never be a home. Gaara didn't linger on that thought longer than it crossed his mind. It was what it was. The redhead closed his eyes as the cold night air nipped at his face, supplying the ivory skin with a light flush. The residual warmth of summer was steadily fading into the crisp autumn chill, leaving the nights just cold enough to make long walks an uncomfortable affair. Gaara preferred the cold, it drew his focus away from confusing thoughts and emotions. He reached into the large pockets of his oversized black sweater and pulled out his phone. Plugging in his earphones, the teen placed the buds in his ears hoping to drown out any remaining thoughts with his music. Gaara let out an audible sigh as the familiar notes began to filter through his ears, the previously unnoticed tension dropping off his shoulders. This was familiar. This was safe. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he made a swift left down the nearly empty street in the main part of the city heading into the upper class portion of Konoha.

Konoha was divided in to several districts, each area acting as a distinct division in the large city. Like most cities, Konoha had a marked lower class area, commonly referred to as the slum. Despite the name, the slum was a rather peaceful and crime free sector given the circumstances. Lee's apartment complex was smack dab in the middle of it, one of the better places in the overall area. Then there were the suburbs located closest to the main hustle and bustle of the city. The suburbs veined out into four areas surrounding the city, two near the downtown area and two closer to the schools. Tenten and Neji lived in two of the suburbs, Neji being closer to their high school and Tenten resting just on the outside of the downtown suburb. These sectors had the friendliest neighbourhoods, with the typical neighbourly gossip and weekly barbecues. The houses were almost a cookie cutter replica of each other, barring the richer areas such as the elaborate complex Neji lived in. Following the suburbs, the wealthiest area of Konoha rested on the outskirts of the city. Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and Gaara all resided in the affluent, heavily gated community. This area of Konoha housed the most elite families, all of whom were from old money with aristocratic ties. The mansions that constituted the wealthy community were far removed from one another. They were as intimidating as they were impersonal, giving the district an exceedingly opulent air. Out of all the distinguished families, the Uchiha's, Hyūga's, and Sabaku's were the most notable in all of Konoha. While Neji was also of the Hyūga clan, being Hinata's cousin, his father had become estranged from the main family following monetary disputes between his siblings after the death of the previous head of the family.

Growing up, Gaara had been given _everything_. He had never struggled a single day in his short life in want of anything monetary. As ideal a notion as it was, **_things_** could not replace affection or love as much as his father liked to believe. Or perhaps believe was the wrong word, because that would imply that his father had given his actions any thought. The most likely scenario was his father had very little in the way of affection for any of the three children he had no desire for, and therefore payed nanny upon nanny to watch after kids he had no need of. The stuff had come after, given by said nannies to pacify the children whom were not theirs and would never be. Gaara had no attachment to things. He didn't know he was missing anything in his life until a certain raven haired boy crash landed into his life.

Jean covered legs leisurely ascended immaculate kept metal stairs; their iron bars intricately woven into beautiful facades of flowers and foliage. The pale teen pushed upon familiar white doors, the gleaming surfaces making no noise as they smoothly swung on their hinges. Gaara didn't expect to see any of his siblings at the late hour he found himself home at, and was therefore intrigued to see the unmistakable silhouette of his brother shuffling into the large kitchen. Following his brother, the redhead made his way down the large hall into the main area of the house. The first floor of the house opened up from the entrance hall into a grande main area. Branching off to the left was the large dining hall and kitchen, the former rarely being used except when their father was hosting business partners. To the right was the indoor pool and gym area, not places Gaara often visited unless their group of friends insisted on coming over to swim (something that rarely happened as it was). Further to the back of the main area was the "living room". This room was more akin to a home movie theatre and was overflowing with any and every game or movie imaginable (in no small part thanks to Kankurō's obsession with games and Tenmari's love for films).Two winding staircases led up to the second floor where the sibling's bedrooms where located. Heading to the kitchen, Gaara opted to remain in the door frame, watching as his brother groggily poured himself a glass of water. Kankurō must not of heard his entrance, because upon seeing Gaara looming just outside the kitchen he let out a less than manly screech and threw the glass of water he had been holding. The younger teen watched apathetically as the glass smashed on the gleaming kitchen tiles, sending water everywhere. Kankurō didn't share the same apathy.

"What the HELL Gaara, you scared the ever loving shit out of me!" Kankurō half shouted, clearly trying not to be uproariously loud at the late hour. "Fuck, now I gotta clean this up, great."

Ignoring Kankurō's irritation, Gaara slipped into the room and lent on the wall, observing as his brother picked up the broken shards of glass. "Why are you here?"

Kankurō looked up from his crouched position, his eyebrows drawn in confusion. "Where else would I be? It's late, and I wanted some water? I dunno, where did you expect me to be?" He resumed picking up the shards, going as fast as he could without accidentally stabbing himself.

"Temari is out, I assumed you would be as well," was the flat reply supplied by Gaara. He continued to watch impassively as his brother threw away the broken glass and wiped up the water with a kitchen towel.

"Nah," Kankurō drew out as he stretched to mop up the last of the spill, "my plans fell through, didn't much feel up to leaving."

Blue eyes narrowed as Gaara assessed the forced casualness of his brother's admission. "You were worried."

"What—no, no I just wanted to stay home is all," the brunette denied far too quickly to be truthful.

"I am no longer a lost child, there is no need to wait up for me," Gaara airily informed.

"Christ Gaara," Kankurō begin as he slammed the towel down on the counter, "I know you don't need protecting or anything, i'm just—i'm your older brother okay? I care about your well being, alright!"

"Hmm," was the ambivalent response. Gaara walked over to his brother, who now seemed sheepish at his outburst as colour marred his lightly tanned skin. He picked up the towel that had been discarded in Kankurō's frustration, folding it neatly and dropping it back over the shiny rack. "While the sentiment is appreciated, it is not needed. Good night brother."

Gaara heard his brother's fond, but exasperated sigh as he headed up the stairs to his room. His bedroom was the third room on the large upper floor, the last door at the far end of the hallway. Gaara locked the door behind him as he lazily reached up to turn his lights on. The pitch black was bathed in pale light, revealing a surprisingly barren room. To the far left sat a gigantic, luxurious bed. The fluffy red comforter sat atop black satin sheets with large, shapely black pillows perched at the head of the bed. across from the foot of his bed was a door leading to a walk in closet, filled with mostly black and red clothing leaning more towards punk or goth in style. Beside the closet was a luxurious bathroom, complete with a claw footed tub and a stand alone shower. To the right of his bed there was a sleek bedside table which held his laptop, and a simple lamp. The rest of his room housed an impressive book collection, which occupied several floor to ceiling shelves. Other than that, the redhead's room was devoid of anything overly personal; no family photos or even mementoes were on display. In fact, the only photo that Gaara actually owned was secreted away in the back of the second drawer of his bedside table. If anyone were to happen upon it, they would be greeted with the image of two young boys, arms childishly thrown around each other. One could be seen beaming widely at the camera while the other stared with something akin to fondness at the former.

The pale teen tossed his phone carelessly on his overly large bed, pulling off his hoody offhandedly. The article of clothing landed at the foot of the bed and was quickly joined by a black t-shirt and a pair of dark wash jeans. Gaara rubbed a hand over his face as he stood partially naked in his room, letting himself relax fully in the familiar space. He crossed his room and went into his closet, swiftly snatching a pair of silky black pyjama bottoms. Pulling them on, Gaara made his way back over to his bed and flopped down on the plush surface. Staring at the black ceiling of his bedroom, the young male found his thoughts zeroing in on a particular male without the distraction of music or the cold night air. He recalled the events that had taken place earlier that afternoon, perfectly recreating the anguish that had overwhelmed the usually serene features of his—dare he say, best friend. Something in his chest pinched at the memory. Contrary to what others assumed, Gaara was well versed in the potential consequences of his actions. Although he still had difficulties sympathizing with others, having grown up in an arguably emotionless environment, he wasn't completely brain dead. He knew bringing up sensitive subjects would more likely than not lead to less that smooth situations. However, he also knew Lee. Endlessly kind, and abundantly insecure Lee, who continued to struggle with speaking openly about himself. That's not to say that he didn't talk about himself, because he did….when it was positive. The redhead knew that Lee grappled with opening up about his problems because of his fear of burdening people with his issues. Gaara knew that his friend sometimes needed a push, and if that often made him the "bad guy", well so be it. In his own way, he could sympathize with Lee's plight. Or, more accurately, Gaara could understand where that particular insecurity stemmed from. While Lee battled with his past and how it continued to influence his life, Gaara struggled with breaking out of the habits ingrained in him by his father. Or, rather, his lack thereof.

The apathetic teen had been an undeniably cruel child. He rarely spoke as it was now, but as a young child he had been practically mute. This in itself was manageable; the various nannies would often leave the sullen, eerily silent child to himself. When he did deign to vocalize, no one was excused from his poison tongue. Gaara was bitter, and furious —at what, he wasn't sure, being far too young to grasp his own situation fully, but he was positively vindictive. This anger would simmer, sometimes for weeks or even months, until the child reached his breaking point. When everything billed over —well, there wasn't a single nanny that had lasted past two tantrums at most. Everything changed when Gaara met Lee. He had been ramping up to another tantrum that warm summer day. In an attempt to stave off the rising anger, the current nanny had opted to take the young boy to the local city park (not the best choice for an asocial child unaccustomed to being around other children for prolonged periods of time). Gaara had sequester himself to the very outskirts of the park, having no desire to be any closer to the rambunctious children and their insufferable noise. He preferred to observe, watching almost distastefully at the merriment he had never experienced (because anger was much easier an emotion to process than sadness or jealousy). It was during this moment of mild disgust, as he continued to scan the unfamiliar scene, that he caught a glimpse of a figure slowly crumpling in upon itself. Vivid turquoise eyes snapped back to observe the outlier in the happy, domestic landscape. The boy, because despite his surprising height the figure was definitely that of an older child, seemed to be sobbing silently to himself. His thin frame shook almost violently with the force of his crying, but no one seemed to pay any mind to him. Several adults walked passed without a single hint of acknowledging the clearly distressed child. Gaara's non-existent eyebrows drew together angrily. Despite having never felt a single shred of empathy towards anyone in his short life, he could feel **_something_** stirring in him. Without giving it much thought, the redhead made his way over to the still crying child. Stopping just behind the boy, Gaara hesitated momentarily. He had no experience in comforting others. He wasn't even sure if that's what the uneasy feeling churning in his stomach was urging him to do. Haltingly, he reached out a small pale hand, resting it briefly on the others shaking shoulders. This seemed to be enough to snap the taller child out of his sobbing, as he whipped his head around to face Gaara. The alabaster child was completely unprepared for the sight that he was met with. His breath was sucker punched out of his gut in a silent gasp as he stared into large obsidian eyes wet with shed, and unshed tears alike. _This is what angels look like_ , came the stray childish thought as Gaara continued to stare down at the shocked boy. Neither of them seemed to know what to do. Eventually the redhead opted to sit beside the raven haired boy, both of them drifting into an oddly peaceful silence. That had been the start of their unlikely friendship.

Gaara rolled onto his side as his thoughts continued to cycle around Lee. They had been inseparable from then on, at least when they could be together. Gaara had found in Lee everything that had been lacking in his life; he finally had true companionship and genuine affection. They had only grown closer as time went on, and slowly the solemn child learned to move beyond the emotionless shell of his youth into a level headed teen. Darkly rimmed eyes narrowed as Gaara rubbed at his chest once again. The uncomfortable warmth spread anew from his sternum through his upper body. The warmth seemed to linger whenever he thought of his best friend. It wasn't a new feeling, not by far. He had been experiencing the very same sensation since around the age of fourteen when Lee had given him a chaste kiss on the cheek in a moment of excitement. Although he had become more perceptive of emotions in others, he still struggled with his own. Gaara was a truthful person in general; he saw no purpose in lying or deceiving, preferring to be straightforward. He applied this to himself as well. So it wasn't for lack of trying to decipher the feelings he experienced, but more a matter of not knowing what these feelings translated to. It was simple for Gaara to acknowledge he was physically attracted to the raven haired male. Having accepted his own sexuality early as well, it was second nature to recognize that his friend was undeniably beautiful and something that Gaara could take pleasure in watching. All silky hair, and smooth tanned skin, with perfectly adorable features as well as a lithe body; Gaara would be an idiot not to find allure in Lee. He knew he wasn't the only one who took note of Lee's natural appeal, if the halting looks of Neji and Sasuke were anything to go by. As he grew into a teenager, it was unavoidable to notice how his body began to respond to his best friend. Gaara had never been shy or ashamed of his reactions, it was just a natural part of getting older. His siblings, having grown attuned to Gaara, knew instantly of his affection for Lee. Kankurō and Temari liked to tease him in their own way, slipping in mention of the tanned teen during conversations to try and get a reaction out of him (it never did outrightly, though the steady increase of his heart rate begged to differ). However, that didn't stop him from hiding from Lee. He could sense the raven haired male's struggle with his own self, and had no desire to contribute to his turmoil if he had anything to say on the subject. So Gaara made sure to school his actions, which honestly didn't take much considering he wasn't the most outwardly affectionate person in the first place. He was quick to monitor how long his gaze would linger on Lee, taking care to be nothing but friendly (or as friendly as he could be). And perhaps, a small part of Gaara acknowledged, his actions were as much for his benefit as Lee's. The longer he could put off asking for assistance in working out his emotions, the longer he could put off being under his siblings thumbs (because he knew the teasing would be relentless). Gaara knew objectively what love was. He found love in the kindness of his friends and their desire to be around one another as often as possible. He found love in his siblings, as Kankurō actions that night more than proved. He could even reciprocate the love of friendship and family that was given to him. He, however, did not know what it meant to **_be_** in love. As he thought once again of Lee— his breathtaking smiles that continued to grow more sincere as the days went on, his soft laughter that could draw Gaara from his distant exterior, and his kindness that extended to all he touched— he thought, that perhaps, he was beginning to understand.

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And there you have it, one more chapter to this little fic. I needed to take a break from Lee's point of view, mainly because I needed to actually move the plot along but also because I was stuck on how to keep this going. Do not fret (not that any of you are, mind) i'm not going to abandon this story! I have every single intention to see this thing to the end, i'm just worried it might become boring. Alas, I shall try my best.

Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to read this story and even leave a comment. As much as I say I don't mind either way, I really enjoy hearing what you guys have to say about this story and it warms me to see even the smallest comment!


	17. Or does he?

I give you...another update!

This chapter isn't quite as long as the others, but we're getting somewhere at least.

Once again, nothing belongs to me but this dumb thing!

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Monday rolled around after an exhausting weekend, bringing with it bitter chills and frosty mornings, welcoming autumn into Konoha. A soft, tranquil trill filled the pitch black room, rousing the redhead from another fitful sleep. His insomnia had been making itself known the past weeks, and it seemed that the previous night had been the best time for it to make a full reappearance. Rubbing sluggishly at the extensive dark circles under his eyes, Gaara slowly sat up. He allowed the unobtrusive alarm to play as he cupped his face with pale hands, letting out a weary sigh. The teen was more than accustomed to not sleeping, having dealt with insomnia for most of his life, but the lack of sleep never failed to leave him feeling less than cheerful about the upcoming day. He had tried sleeping pills once upon a time, which had worked surprisingly well —that is, until he started having intense nightmares. When his doctor recommended he change prescriptions, which he did with gusto hoping that his sleep would return to normal, the new ones only made him sleepwalk and then feel drowsy the following day. Needless to say, Gaara had decided that the lesser of two evils was to just deal with the insomnia. Running long fingers through messy hair, the pale teen took a deep breath, accepting that the two hours he had slept was going to have to be enough to make it through the day. Gaara reached over and quieted the still ringing alarm, swinging his legs over the side of his bed in the process. He finally made the effort to stand up, bare feet meeting the cool chill of the wooden floor, and trudged over to his closet. Gaara reached a long arm into the space, grabbing his uniform and a new pair of boxer briefs without bothering to turn on the light or fully go in. He plodded over to the adjoined bathroom, hanging his outfit on the back of the door. Turning, he crossed the short distance over to the bathrooms sink, briefly resting his hands on the marble counter top.

The redhead turned the tap of the porcelain sink, causing a small stream of frigid water to cascade into the white bowl. He cupped the water between his hands and splashed it on his exhausted face. The icy sting made his previously warm skin tingle, helping wake him up just the slightest bit more. Cerulean eyes met in the glassy reflection of the small mirror above the sink. Gaara studied his likeness impassively, taking note of the kohl like smudges around his eyes, and the striking pallor of his masculine face. Handsome, is what many had told him his looks amalgamated to. The sharpness of his eyes, paired with a smooth, straight nose, and thin, soft lips apparently made a winning combination (if the many confessions he had received meant anything). Gaara couldn't care less about how he looked. The person he saw in the mirror reflected absolutely nothing about the person he truly was. The teen had never understood why people become so obsessive over their physical appearances. How someone looked on the outside was one of the worst ways to judge a person for who they were inside. _In fact,_ the redhead mused, _some of the ugliest people I know are what most people would consider beautiful._ Gaara sneered at the thought, his pale lips pulled in amused disgust. Shutting off the water, the young male made quick work of changing into his uniform. He brushed his teeth and used the washroom before heading back into his room to gather the last of his school supplies into his sleek, black messenger bag.

Gaara slipped down the winding staircase with ease, taking little time to enter into the kitchen. Kankurō, unsurprisingly, was hunched over a bowl of, what looked like by now, soggy cereal. One of his large hands was being used a sort of stand to hold up his drooping head, while the other was limply holding the spoon sitting immobile in his breakfast. Temari, on the other hand, was just wiping the water from her freshly cleaned plate, having finished her morning meal much earlier than her brothers. Out of the three of them, Temari was the earliest riser. She could be up and ready to go at the most unreasonable of times, while Kankurō and Gaara often struggled to even function anytime earlier than the afternoon. After putting away her dish, Temari pulled out a seat beside Kankurō, beckoning Gaara over: an offer he easily accepted. As he sat, the blonde female ruffled his already messy crimson locks, and turned to flick their other sibling on the forehead. Kankurō let out an indigent yelp, covering the stinging area on his forehead, while Temari laughed heartily.

"You guys better hurry if you want to make it to school on time," The blonde snickered as she grabbed her own bag and slung it over her shoulder. Being the eldest of the three, Temari had already finished her last year of high school and was now attending Konoha's local University. Their father hadn't been pleased when Temari refused to leave the city to go to one of the more prestigious schools, and had even went so far as to take measure to ensure she had no other choice but to leave. It had been his last ditch attempt at trying to break the solid bond between the three siblings. What their father hadn't planned for however, was Temari having set up a savings account which housed more than enough money to put all three of the Sabaku children through University. Turning on her heal, Temari sauntered out of the kitchen calling a last goodbye to the two remaining figures.

"How can she be so damn chipper in the mornings," Kankurō grumbled after he heard the snick of the front door closing. He resumed eating his soggy cereal, while his other hand rubbed at his red forehead. "Pisses me off, I swear she just acts that way to rile me up."

Gaara turned from his slumped position on the counter to stare at his brother. Head pooled in his crossed arms, blue eyes focused on Kankurō as he continued to complain in-between bites. The mindless chatter lulled Gaara into a comfortable middle ground; neither fully alert, nor completely asleep. It was here that he recalled his thoughts from two days prior: thoughts that had continued to linger just in his peripheral long after he had drawn his own inconclusive conclusion. The brunette made some sort of snide comment, which he deemed worthy enough to laugh at himself, piercing through the younger teen's thoughtful reprise. Whether it was the lack of sleep (something Gaara would swear to if pressed), or the perfect combination of feeling content and comfortable beside his brother, it seemed it was enough to loosen the redhead's normally sealed lips.

"What does it mean to be in love?"

Two things happened simultaneously after Gaara finished asking his question; firstly, Kankurō inhaled sharply as he whipped his head to face his stoic sibling, and secondly, the brunette started choking profusely on the half chewed cereal still in his mouth. The coughing fit continued for a short while as Kankurō thumped his own chest with a balled up fist.

"I must be hearing things," the elder rasped after he had cleared his airway, eyes still blown wide in disbelief, "I could have sworn you just asked me about love."

"I did," Gaara deadpanned, blue eyes boring into black.

"Wh-what?" Kankurō could do little more than gape at his youngest sibling, eyes flitting over the other's face. "You, y-you wha—"

"Are you going to be of any use to me in this matter, or should I look elsewhere?"

Though the redhead's tone was dark, the inquiry seemed sincere, which was enough to startle Kankurō into action.

"S-shit Gaara, that's not an easy thing to answer," Noting the sour look on his brother's face, Kankurō quickly continued his explanation, "I mean, everyone's different when it comes to, you know, being in love. So, like, what I might think being in love is could be completely, and I mean **_completely,_** different than how someone like, Temari for instance, might describe it. You understand?"

Gaara merely tilted his head further into his arms, small red eyebrows furrowing in obvious confusing though the redhead remained silent on the matter. Kankurō sighed.

"Okay, for example, I knew I was in love with Kiba when all I wanted to do was just fucking see his dumb face everyday, regardless of when we'd seen each other last," the elder watched as his brother's eyes narrowed, another sign that he wasn't quite following along with his train of thought but was processing the information regardless. "And, and like, when I'm with him it doesn't feel like we can be close enough, even if the dumb shit's practically sitting on my lap. Does that, I dunno, help?"

Gaara seemed to contemplate what Kankurō had shared with him, mulling over the details in his mind. "So to be in love means to desire their presence at all times, and to always crave close physical contact with them?"

 _Of course my emotionally constipated brother would take that literally,_ the elder lamented as he ran a hand over his face. "Not, not in the literal sense Gaara —well, at least not all the time. It's...okay,so that person just happens to be someone you think about a lot, and like, just the **_thought_ ** of them makes you feel, just, like a whole fucking lot of things; Im talking like Good, bad, angry, frustrated, sad, tired, the works. But overall they become significant to you, and you start to care about if **_they're_** happy, or sad, and like what you can do for them to make them happier. And like, when you see them smile," the brunette's face flushed as a lopsided smile stretched across his lightly tanned face, "everything feels a little perfect."

"Hmm," was not the earth shattering response Kankurō had hoped he would get from his brother after divulging such personal information on his part (not that he had expected him to react differently mind you). Gaara turned his head away from the other male, taking a moment to stare down at his folded arms before standing up and heading out of the kitchen.

"H-Hey!" Kankurō called after his sibling, halting Gaara's exit, "Is that really it!? No thanks or like, I don't know, explanation?"

"Yes," came the quick retort.

"Why did you even ask me that in the first place!?" The elder demanded as he washed out his empty bowl.

"Lee," Gaara replied as if the answer to that question was so obvious that Kankurō must be an idiot for not having inherently known.

"Is…..umm, is Lee like…. in love with someone?" The brunette wagered, still not exactly sure how Lee related to the previous topic.

"Of course not," the redhead scoffed, once again implying that his brother's intelligence was minimal if he had come to such a stupid conclusion.

"Th-then, what exactly does…what does **_Lee_** have to do with it?"

"I am in Love with Lee," the younger mentioned offhandedly as he left the kitchen, bored with his sibling's stupidity.

"Ahhh oka—WAIT, WHAT!?"

For the second time in under a week Gaara heard the distinct crash of glass smashing to pieces. This was followed by a streak of colourful swears, half growled half shouted, as Kankurō frantically removed the shards from the sink.

"WH-WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH LEE!?" The brunette yelled from the kitchen as he continued to clean up the mess.

"It is exactly as it sounds, I do not understand how I can be more clear," Gaara levelled back, leaning back against the pristine white hallway wall.

"I….I! JUST, WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN!?" Kankurō fumbled out as he scrambled to draw concrete connections between what his brother was confessing and how he had been acting up until this point to see if there was any overlap. It was proving to be an exercise in futility.

"I just realized this morning—"

"Oh thank god, for a second there I thought I had ju—"

"—But I believe I have loved him since I was fourteen."

"…..W-WHAT!" The brunette whipped around the corner, nearly crashing straight into the stoic redhead.

"I don't understand why you continue to act so shocked at this revelation. Lee has been my oldest and dearest friend for a majority of my life" The younger sibling eyed the other critically, one small eyebrow cocked in silent question.

"It's not that! Christ Gaara," Kankurō ran his hands through his hair in exasperation, "I know you two have been like joined at the hip forever, but that doesn't instantly mean I would somehow come to the conclusion that you're in love with him!"

"He is an exceedingly attractive person, both inside and out, why would you assume I wouldn't fall for him?"

"Gaara, I hate to break this to you," the elder began as he leaned beside the pale teen, tone more than a bit sarcastic at this point, "but you aren't exactly the most expressive person. For awhile there I thought you might be asexual, if i'm being honest."

Gaara raised a brow at the last statement. "You and Temari took great pleasure in mentioning Lee around me in the hopes of eliciting an emotional response," the younger reminded.

"Maybe Temari knew more than me or some shit, but I just did it because it got you to open up more about your friends! Lee is like my go to gateway into figuring out how you're doing because when I bring him up, you talk more, and I can kind of gauge how you're feeling from what you talk about!"

Although it didn't reflect on his passive face, Gaara was honestly taken aback at his brother's reply. He had never thought about it that way, but what his brother said rang true. Every time Kankuro inquired into Lee's wellbeing, it had always resulted in a long conversation about his friends and even about himself. A small smile played at his lips briefly, before his expression morphed into the impassive gaze he always wore.

"Well brother, it has been a long time coming," Gaara concluded as he pushed himself from the wall and made his way to the front door.

"Well no shit!" Kankurō rolled his eyes as he fell into step behind the redhead, "I just can't believe I was so oblivious to it this whole time!"

"I can."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?"

The two continued to banter on the way to school (Kankurō mostly talking while Gaara grunted in response or provided the odd vocal comment) only parting ways once they reached the front gates. The brunette waved briefly to the younger before making his way over to his own group of friends. Gaara raised his own hand in acknowledgement and too headed towards his own companions. Their small group of friends always hung out at the back of the large school in the mornings, finding that not many people chose to gather there despite it being the best hidden spot on the school grounds. This allowed them to have solitary conversations without worrying about being jostled around by the other students in their rush to get inside. The redhead rounded the last corner just in time to catch the tail end of another argument between the ever fighting step-brothers. Ignoring Naruto's shrill yells and Sasuke's scathing comebacks, Gaara sat himself beside the frantically waving Lee.

Hinata and Tenten were huddled together a little further away from the rest of the group, clearly engaged in some sort of conversation that required all of their undivided attention. Every now and then Hinata would stop and look around, as if worried she'd be caught talking about something less than appropriate. Gaara took note, just on the off-chance that they were planning something less than pleasant to occur sometime in the not so distant future. Neji, on the other hand, was seated silently on the other side of Lee. His eyes were closed as he listened to music, content to tune out the ruckus his friends were making. Gaara too wished he could tune out the yet again escalating fight with his own music, but the raven haired youth beside him held off the temptation to shut everyone out.

Gaara had heard many people say that when someone fell in love, everything looked different. Things become brighter and better and overall more beautiful. Rose coloured glasses, if you will. Whoever said that was spouting complete bullshit. Nothing looked or felt different to the redhead; Naruto was still as unbearable as he always was, Sasuke and Neji as smug, and Lee as radiant. The scenery was just as colourful as early autumn would call for, but nothing seemed new or magical. Gaara focused his attention back on the male beside him. He noted that Lee's coffee skin was flushed lightly from the cold; a delicate pink kissing his cheeks and nose. His large eyes were attentively focused on Gaara, while his full lips stretched wide to accommodate his bright smile. The taller teen reached out a soft hand, gently placing it on the other teen's upper arm.

"Good morning Gaara, was your weekend most fulfilling?" Lee's soft, lilting voice rang through the bitter morning air, somehow silencing the incessant background noise until the only sound remaining was the phantom echo of his sweet greeting.

Gaara felt his heart skip a beat. That too, as unsettling as it still was to the redhead, was normal when it came to being around the elder teen. He often felt his heart race during interactions with Lee, and was thusly not surprised that such a simple moment had inspired such a reaction in himself. What was rather new, however, was the sudden, white hot desire to cup Lee's blushing cheeks in his large hands and crash their lips together in a hungry kiss.

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And there you go, we're finally getting somewhere (kind of) with the main pairing of this fic. If any of you have suggestions for side pairings you'd like to see i'd be more than willing to hear them because eventually i'm going to attempt to pair everyone off. For now, expect more of Gaara and Lee's relationship to be established and new and exciting things to happen at Paradise.

Thanks again for the comments people, I really love to hear that people are still taking the time to read this dumb ass thing!


	18. Something New

Woah, what's this? An update!

Considering I have a lot of free time right now, it's kind of sad that it took me this long to finish this chapter.

As always, nothing belongs to me but this fic. I hope you guys enjoy!

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Gaara had been acting well—not unusual per say, but something definitely felt different. School had come and gone that chilly Monday with nothing of much note to help that school day stand out from the rest. Or rather, there was something unique about the day, just not something that the raven haired teen could tangibly articulate or note at the moment. And so school finished, students made their ways back home, and Lee was left to pounder the lacklustre events of the day. While he couldn't quite pinpoint the exact moment in which things changed, mostly because nothing had really **_changed_** **,** he was determined to at least figure out why he felt things were different. Outwardly the shorter redhead was the same as he always was; stoic, solitary, and silent. That's not to say that he didn't contribute to the conversation every now and then, nor that he didn't sit close with the rest of them at lunch, because he did. But that too was perfectly normal behaviour for the alabaster male. Lee climbed his rickety stairs and unlocked his dull green door, still lost in trying to decipher the alteration in his good friend. It had started in the morning, when Gaara had joined them at the back of the school. Lee had reached over to greet his friend, and while he received the normal nod in response, something had shifted between them. Lee felt himself flush at the memory, goosebumps breaking out over his delicate flesh. That moment had been electric. Something in Gaara's cerulean gaze had felt heavy, unbearably so, and when Lee's obsidian orbs met blue, he had felt as if he was burning. Things had continued much the same as normal after that, but every time their eyes met Lee 's heart skipped a beat and his palms became sweaty. Shaking his head suddenly, the thin male slapped his cheeks with soft hands. _Of course things feel different Lee,_ he chastised himself, _you have just accepted your own sexuality and in turn your feelings for Gaara, it is no wonder that things seem strange._ Shame washed over Lee in churning waves, causing his shoulder to slump as he fell back on his small mattress. And, if he was being completely honest, a pang of disappointment coloured the whole awful mix of emotions. It hadn't been Gaara who had been acting oddly, it had been Lee himself. Now that he no longer felt the need to censor that aspect of himself around his friends, he had become more open to his own feelings and thoughts. That had meant that the giant wall he put up against his affections for Gaara had all but collapsed until only clouds of dust remained. _And here I am projecting my own feelings on to Gaara._ _That is not fair to him, just because I am attracted to him in that way does not mean he is attracted to me as well._ Lee rolled onto his side, arms hanging limply off the side of his bed. His long fingers picked at the frayed edges of his worn out comforter, the tanned skin starkly contrasting with the pale pink blanket. While the young male was certain he was right about this situation, something continued to niggle at the back of his mind. Lee was very good at reading his friend, despite Gaara showing very little emotion outwardly. So the electric moment at the back of the school…..there was definitely something that passed between the two of them. _Maybe,_ a small hopeful part of him suggested, _maybe…..he_ ** _was_** _also acting differently?_

Lee's struggle was interrupted by his phone signalling a new text message. Sitting up, the lithe teen stretched out on to his stomach and reached over the end of his bed. Digging through the bag he had dropped there, he finally drew out his phone and looked to see just who was trying to contact him before work. Sai's name flashed on the screen and Lee quickly opened the message to see what his coworker could want. Lee and Sai had begun to text quite often after the former had received his phone, but they generally didn't message each other before a shift unless it was important. The text read 'Come in early, Gai wants to talk to us'. Normally, something like this would have been enough to send Lee into an uncontrollable fit of panic; Instead, the tanned teen took a deep breath, and grabbed his work bag. Knowing Gai as well as he did now, Lee knew that if it was something negative he wouldn't have gone through Sai to get his message to Lee. He sent his coworker a quick response indicating in the positive, and locked his door behind him as he calmly set off for Paradise.

Jogging down the street, Lee didn't even register that he was still in his school uniform, much too preoccupied on wondering what it was Gai had to discuss with them. He made a quick right off of the main road, dismissing one of the more outlandish scenarios his brain had supplied as to what the impromptu meeting was for, and was so lost in thought that he completely missed the person standing in the mouth of the side street. The raven's large eyes widened comically before he slammed into the poor, unsuspecting individual. Lee emitted a rather high eep as he bounced off the surprisingly firm chest of the stranger, falling unceremoniously onto the hard cement road. The other male emitted a low groan, clearly not finding the harsh impact any more pleasant than the dark skinned teen. Lee hunched forward on the hard ground, rubbing his stinging nose that was now an interesting shade of red. Before he could get his bearings, warm hands grabbed Lee's thin arms and easily hauled him from the ground, effectively removing his hands from his face.

"Funny how our encounters are never quite as smooth as they could be," came the teasing voice of Itachi.

"Ah! That is completely my fault," Lee bowed his head quickly in succession once he realized the stranger was not in-fact a stranger, but rather the one coworker who he shared a still rather tentative relationship with, "I was not paying attention to where I was going, I am sorry to have run right into you! And, as for the other encounters, I am afraid those were also my fault, if only I had been more sensitive we could have started off as splendid friends, or wait, is that too presumptuous of me to assume!? I am sorry for tha—"

A pale hand covered the younger's mouth gently, efficaciously cutting off the barrage of jumbled words. "Lee, it's fine, please let's just leave those events in the past. We were both wrong, myself more-so than what you are delegating, but I find no shame in admitting that. We've moved beyond this, haven't we?"

Though Itachi's soothing voice lifted slightly at the end, Lee knew the question was more a statement. With his mouth still cupped by the others larger hand, the younger opted to nod instead.

"Good," Itachi smiled lightly, releasing his hold, "now should we head to Paradise together? It is a lovely day for a walk amongst friends."

"Y-Yosh!" Lee eagerly chirped in agreement, "I would be honoured to share this journey with you!"

A larger smile pulled at the typically serious male's face, his sharp eyes softening into happy crescents. Itachi lightly pinched Lee's round cheeks as he continued to smile down at him. "It is no wonder you are such a good server at Paradise."

Lee tilted his head in confusion (as much as the fingers holding his cheeks would allow), not following what he believed to be a clear jump in conversation. "I do not understand, how is it that you have come to such a conclusion?"

The taller male smiled benignly and released tanned cheeks from pale fingers. "With a face as cute as yours and a personality to match, it's a wonder people have money left when they leave," Itachi laughed airily as he watched Lee's face redden to a sweet pink, the two resuming their trek to the club.

"I-I do not believe people think **_that_** much of me," Lee protested, still unused to receiving such nice compliments, "if anything it is Sai, and Shikamaru, and Y-you that the costumers are most enthralled by."

The taller smirked down at the shorter, not fully expecting the younger to admit to something so modest "Ah, then does that mean that you think i'm a good performer Lee?"

"O-of course!" The younger agreed, fists clenched in enthusiasm, "You are all so very cool and handsome, there is no reason why they should not appreciate your skill! When you perform on stage, everyone is drawn to your charismatic presence, you are truly a fantastic performer!"

Itachi ruffled Lee's soft raven locks, humbled by the sincerity behind his words."That is very kind Lee, thank you. I take pride in my talents."

Lee ducked his head as the hand left his hair, a small smile plastered to his face.

"But," The elder drawled teasingly, "I don't think you're as invisible as you'd like to think you are, something I believe you'll see soon enough."

The enigmatic conclusion left Lee feeling wrong-footed, as if Itachi knew something he himself did not. While he knew realistically he was a good server, he was merely filling the basic requirements of the job. How he contributed anything extra was beyond him, as far as he could tell he was just doing what was asked of him.

"That's besides the point though," Itachi began, breaking the momentary lapse in conversation, "how did your little revelation go Saturday? Sai mentioned in passing that you'd be seeing your friends and that'd you were taking the opportunity to 'come clean' so to say?"

Lee hadn't expected for Sai to talk to anyone else about his plans to come out on the weekend and was thusly taken aback at the change in topic; that's not to say that he was angered by it, rather, he felt a light warmth spread through his chest at the knowledge that his friend had deemed it important enough to mention to his other coworkers. Itachi seemed to pick up on the poorly disguised shock on his face but misread his shocked awe for stricken betrayal.

"Ah, was he not meant to mention it? If so then I am sorry that I brought it up, I did not know it was a private matter."

"N-NO!" Lee half shouted, hands waving in front of his face to dissuade the negative turn their talk had taken. "I was just not expecting him to have talked to anyone, it does not bother me that he did though! So do not worry, I am actually h-happy that you care enough to ask," he admitted as he tentatively reached over to grasp his new friend's wrist.

Looking down at the tanned hand on his arm, Itachi's face softened from the cold mask that had slipped into place at the assumed faux pas. He used the gentle hold to jerk the smaller male under his arm, wrapping Lee into a friendly embrace.

"I see, then you must tell me how it went."

"It was a very positive experience actually!" Lee chuckled from his new position, naturally bringing his right hand up to hold onto the pale arm hanging over his shoulder, "I may have overreacted at first, but my most wonderful friends were very loving and accepting of me!"

Lee felt the arm beneath his hand tense.

"That's wonderful Lee," Itachi responded, voice oddly strained given the positive recount. "I wonder though….was my brother just as accepting as the rest of your friends?"

"A-ah," the younger stuttered, feeling his spirits drop along with his smile. Lee knew Sasuke was a sensitive topic when it came to the older Uchiha, and was therefore something that was definitely better left out of any conversation whenever Itachi was involved (a lesson he had learned quite fast after their disastrous first encounter). Unsure of of what kind of outcome his answer would create, the only thing Lee could even think to do was to answer honestly. "Sasuke was most understanding of my o-orientation, he did not take offence nor did he appear at all disgusted or uneasy. He was most encouraging…well, in his own way."

Lee dared a glance at the other male, lifting his face to better see the elder's expression. Itachi's sharp eyes were glazed over, as if he was reliving a memory that he would much rather forget. His mouth was pulled into what Lee assumed was a painfully tense frown, before it snapped back into a neutral line. Itachi's dark eyes cleared and re-focused on the raven haired teen he still held to his side.

"Hmmm, It is good to know our vile parent's reach does not extend nearly as far as I had once assumed."

Lee flinched at the fierce bite tinging the elder's words, but couldn't help but agree. He knew the Uchiha's family situation was….less than ideal to say the very least, and could easily believe Itachi in his open dislike for his own parents. The raven haired teen had never met Sasuke and Naruto's guardians himself, but the less than pleasant comments Naruto made did not paint them in a favourable light. The two adoptive brothers were often left on their own, both their parents busy with family affairs (Mr. Uchiha) and lavishly spending their most singular wealth (Mrs. Uchiha). When they were home however, well Mr. Uchiha was distant at the best of times while Mrs. Uchicha was overbearing. She felt that when she was home the house should be run under her rule alone, no alternative would be accepted. Those weeks she was home, as few and far in-between as they were, never ceased to leave Sasuke irritable and Naruto down right livid. So if the Uchiha parents were as undesirable sounding from the little Lee had been privy to, then he could only imagine how horrible they actually were. And while the young teen strived to see everyone for their best qualities and not their worst, he found it exceedingly difficult to find any sort of favourable attributes to redeem the neglectful adults.

"I do not often speak ill of others, or at all if I can help it" Lee began hesitantly, unsure if he was overstepping his bounds, "but, from what little I do know, Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha are not the most pleasant of people to be around."

Sudden, uproarious laughter from the taller of the two had Lee lurching backwards as he flung his head up to look at Itachi's face. The arm wrapped around his shoulders prevent him from falling flat on his back, leaving him upright to marvel at the incredulous expression the elder was sporting.

"Oh Lee, that is quite an understatement," Itachi's voice rasped in-between huffed out bubbles of laughter, "My parents are perhaps the most disgusting **_things_** that this planet has seen. I only hope you never have to encounter them, I wouldn't wish their presence upon even my most hated enemies."

The tanned male let out a quiet sigh, glad that his comment hadn't offended his coworker. However, he didn't want to chance his luck, and instead chose to let the conversation rest —at least that was his plan until Itachi continued.

"They weren't nearly as horrendous when Sasuke was born. Something about him softened them up, they become more pleasant, easier to be around. And they were around too, more often then i'd ever known them to be," dark eyes became distant once again as the pale male averted his gaze from the shorter teen. "I never resented Sasuke for our parents clear favouritism," he revealed in a soft tone, almost as if he was unaware that he was speaking aloud, "he was the best thing that happened in our broken family."

Lee didn't know what to say in response to such an open confession, especially coming from the closed off male at his side. Something about the brittle tone coming from someone as admirably strong as Itachi saddened the teen greatly. While they were not the best of friends, Lee had always been a sympathetic person, and so he was easily moved by what his coworker had revealed to him. Itachi's situation was truly heartbreaking. So instead of attempting to continue the conversation, he did what he knew would comfort himself in such a situation: he released his hold on Itachi's arm and turned to hug the male instead.

Itachi froze in the other's embrace, halting their forward momentum. Looking down at the raven head pushed into his side, long arms wrapped around his middle in a tight yet comforting hold, the older male felt himself relax. He brought his own hand up to ruffle the raven locks with his fingers, earning him an extra squeeze from the younger.

"I am sorry your parents could not love you as much as you deserve," Lee lamented as he sniffed into the other male's shirt, barely holding back tears.

"Thank you Lee, but do not dwell on such matters," Itachi reassured as he gently disentangled the other's limbs from their hold, grasping coffee coloured hands with his own. "There is no love lost between my family and I."

"But, it, I…I do not mean to sound as if I am speaking for you b-but," the tanned teen scrunched up his face as a few tears escaped his large eyes, "it seems as if you really miss Sasuke, and it hurts me to hear the pain this rift is causing you."

Itachi's expression tightened as a myriad of emotions flashed across his face. "While I do miss my brother, I know now is not the time to bridge that gap between us. Please do not cry over something you can not help, your tears are not worth the trouble they are causing you," the elder smiled kindly as he ran soft thumbs over tear stained cheeks.

"Y-yosh," Lee sniffed one last time. "I am still sorry, and I know I am probably the last person you would come to for such things but if you ever want to talk, I will be more than happy to listen."

Itachi smiled tenderly, wrapping his arm around Lee once more, guiding them the rest of the way to Paradise. "Thank you Lee," was his simple response. "But there is no time to dwell on my sad childhood because we are here!"

Lee was startled to realize they were already at the back entrance of the club. He hadn't been paying much attention at all to his surroundings, with all his awareness focused on his coworker, and had thusly missed all his usual markers that indicated how much further he had to travel to work. Shaking off the slight surprise, Lee jogged to catch up with his friend whom had already made the short distance from the street to the club.

Itachi opened the large double doors and ushered the shorter teen inside. The duo made their way through the dimly lit hallway into the main club area, both of them falling into an amiable silence. The club, unsurprisingly, was empty —what was odd was that Gai and the other workers were nowhere to be seen. Usually pre-shift meetings were held in-front of the large stage so that it was easier for the waiters and performers to break off after the gathering came to a close. However, it did not seem that today's meeting would be taking place in it's usual spot. Lee, being new, thought nothing of the simple change in venue. Itachi, on the other hand, seemed to read more into the situation.

"Just what is the old man thinking?" The elder tsked under his breath.

The action was so reminiscent of Sasuke that Lee couldn't help the light chuckle that escaped from his mouth.

"Was something I said humorous?" Itachi queried, amused at the other's reaction.

"Ah, no I was just thinking," the teen laughed lightly once more before gathering his wits, "you and Sasuke are very much alike."

"We are brothers, are we not?" Itachi smirked down at the short male, before schooling his features into a more serious expression. "I do not know what Gai has in store, but I know where he will be. Come, Lee"

Lee too felt some of his early mirth diminish at the other's more serious shift. The pair quickly made their way to the changing room, the lithe male following closely behind his coworker. Even though he had no idea what to expect from the meeting, he couldn't help but feel nervous the closer they got to their destination. When Itachi opened the door, Lee felt himself clench up further. The room held a majority of Paradise's staff who had gathered themselves in a small circle close to the vanity's. Lee easily spotted Sai who began to wave him over impatiently. The stoic male didn't seem at all tense, which helped to relax the teen greatly. Lee looked up at the elder male, asking silently if he minded the younger joining his friend. Itachi easily waved him off, giving him a smile in parting, before making his own way over to Gai. The raven haired teen let out a final breath of relief before bouncing over to Sai. Itachi seemed at ease, which helped to completely relax the younger male, leaving him with a pleasant smile of his own. As soon as the raven was beside the alabaster teen, Sai gripped his hand between his own. Before Lee could question his friend's sudden action, Gai cleared his throat.

"Are you ready for this shit show?" Sai hissed between his teeth, clearly not pleased with what was about to happen.

Lee's early ease melted away to be replaced with concern.

"WELCOME MY MOST WONDERFUL EMPLOYEES!" Gai's voiced boomed loud and clear in the large space. "I am so happy to have everyone here to share this most exciting news with!"

The dark haired male looked over at his friend, eyebrows drawn in confusion. _If it is exciting news then why does Sai look most troubled?_

"Our most beloved performer Shikamaru has finally, after years of working so very hard, been most fortunate as to open his very own café!" The heavily muscled man shouted in delight, large hands moving in a blur as he clapped like a proud parent.

All of the other employees joined in the applause while Shikamaru looked decidedly unimpressed. Lee himself was clapping furiously as he beamed at his coworker.

"And now that our dear Shikamaru has achieved his dream, I am sad to say he will no longer be working at Paradise," Gai started to tear up at the revelation as he pulled an unwilling Shikamaru to his chest, "WE WILL MISS YOU SHIKAMARU!"

The spikey haired male looked about three seconds away from seriously loosing it. His eye twitched in irritation as Gai continued to sob while crushing him further. Luckily, Gai chose to let go in that moment and instead throw himself onto Kakashi, who easily embraced the male as he continued to sob. Shikamaru sighed, and rolled his eyes, before reluctantly patting the muscled male on the back.

"Gai, you can visit me at the café whenever you want. We already went over this, please stop being so troublesome."

"Y-you are right! This is no way to give you a proper send off," Gai sniffed loudly, making several of the employees grimace in disgust. "LET US ALL WISH SHIKAMARU THE BEST WITH HIS NEW ENDEAVOURS!"

Everyone cheered once more, each taking a turn to congratulate their coworker on his future success. Gai seemed to have calmed down significantly by the time everyone had said their piece, and was once again clapping and looking happy.

"Now, for the second part of this most exciting news!"

Sai's cold hand clenched Lee's tightly, bordering on painful.

"I would like to introduce the most youthful employee that will be replacing our wonderful Shikamaru on the stage!"

Lee looked around the crowd of employees to see if he could spot a new face, excited to know who would be joining the Paradise family.

"I present to you all...LEE! Our newest performer!" Gai shouted as the applause started once again.

* * *

I can't help myself guys, I just really wanted to write nice brotherly Itachi okay. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but hey, we all know what this implies.

Thank you all for the lovely comments and reviews, it's nice hear what you guys have to say. And yes, please expect some more Kankurō and Kiba in this fic. If you guys have any thoughts or suggestions, please let me know, i'd love to hear more of your feedback!


	19. Well Shit

Hey everyone, I am back after a long period of not posting with very little excuses as to why no updates were forthcoming.

All I can really say was this chapter just really did not want to be written.

As always the only thing that belongs to me is this god awful thing.

Enjoy!

* * *

Now Kiba was a rather athletic teenager, being on the school's soccer team and all, but he didn't particularly enjoy running if he could help it. Now was one of those times, however, that the brunette found himself racing as fast as his legs would take him. He cut the corner sharp, runners skidding for a moment as he pitched foreword to compensate for his speed. Sweat was beading on his tanned face as he rushed through the elaborate suburbs, breath coming in frequent huffs. Kiba had seen something; something he most definitely should not have seen. On principle, the spiky haired male subscribed to the ever wise philosophy of turning a blind eye. If it wasn't hurting anyone or anything, he firmly believed in letting people do whatever the hell they wanted. He was good at ignoring weird shit —fantastic even, but this time he definitely had to tell someone. Not to say that what he saw was weird per say, it was just…..not something he'd ever expected to see. That was enough to put him on edge. And the lucky person that was going to listen as he ranted about the strange scene he had witnessed was his ever laid-back boyfriend, Kankurō. The short teen practically flew up the stairs of the now familiar house, not bothering to knock as he entered the lavish estate, and rushed into the living room where he knew his boyfriend would be. Sure enough, as he slammed open the heavy wooden doors, the half lidded eyes of Kankurō lazily focused on him. A sleek black game controller was held loosely in his hands, one eyebrow raised in question as the younger teen continued to pant in the doorway. Kiba was having none of that shit. Once he got enough of his breath back, he leapt over the back of the couch, landing perfectly in his boyfriend's lap whom had flung his arms wide in preparation.

"Hey babe, what's up," Kankurō nuzzled his cheek on the top of the smaller males head as he resumed his game.

"Don't you fucking what's up babe me, I've been through some shit!" Kiba wheezed as he was still winded from his long run.

Kankurō paused his game once more and focused on his boyfriend. "What do you mean you've been through some shit? What the fuck happened!?"

Kiba ran his arm over his face, wiping away the sweat that had collected there. "I mean I've been through some shit, what the hell do you think I mean dumbass!"

The older male shot the other an unimpressed look. "Fuck you too," Kankurō snorted, flipping Kiba the middle finger. "Now seriously, why don't you tell me what fucking happened instead of repeating the same thing over and over again."

"Okay, okay but you gotta promise me that what I say doesn't leave this room, ya hear!?"

"I mean ya, but like babe you're kind of scaring me," The taller promised as he put down the controller and rested his hands on the younger's hips.

Kiba shifted out of his boyfriend's grip, and plopped down beside him on the couch in favour of his previous position on his lap. He lent his cheek against the back of the leather sofa, the cool texture stung against his over heated skin, grounding him in the moment. Kankurō shifted forward so he could wrap his arms in a loose hold around Kiba.

"Right, so I was headin' over after my stupid classes, and thought i'd stop downtown to grab some new cleats for soccer practice. Well, I was passin' through the club sector, minding my own fucking business, when I spotted another Konoha uniform out of the corner of my eye. I though maybe it'd be Shino cause he said he needed to run errands after school, so I went to call him over and holy shit am I glad I looked before I shouted because I couldn't believe what I saw! Instead of seeing Shino, like I had expected, do you know who I saw!? Like honestly, you could not pay me enough money to make this shit up. It was fucking Lee, like you know, cute innocent Lee, with motherfucking Itachi Uchiha! And if that wasn't fucking weird enough, they went into Paradise! **_THE_** Paradise, super gay club Paradise, suck dick and have a good time Para—"

"Fuuuuuuck," Kankurō sighed as threw his head back, "Not you too!"

"What do you mean, not you too!? What the fuck do you know Kankurō!?" Kiba demanded, pissed that his boyfriend had cut him off.

"I mean, I already fucking knew that Lee worked there! I was just hoping nobody else would figure it out, especially not you!"

"HE'S WORKING THERE!?" The younger screeched as he pulled away from his boyfriend. This was followed by Kiba punching Kankurō's shoulder none to gently, causing the latter to grunt in pain. "YOU KNEW AND DIDN'T FUCKING TELL ME! WHAT THE FUCK!?"

"This," Kankurō began gesturing at the male in front of him before he opted to rub his now sore arm instead, "is exactly why I didn't tell you! You overreact to everything! Not to mention that last part just slipped out, I wasn't supposed to say anything about knowing where he works and you can't fucking say anything either!"

"I do not overreact! I feel like this is a perfectly appropriate reaction to finding out one of your classmates is working as a goddamn stripper! And I won't tell anyone, for fucks sake I was the one who said nothing was leaving this god damn room you dumb fuck!"

"He's not a **_stripper_**!" Kankurō defended, starting to get annoyed with his boyfriend's outburst, "Christ, Kiba do you even know what kind of establishment Paradise is!?"

"Yeah, it's a fucking **_GAY_** club!" The other brunette fired back, "What is there to know other than that!?"

"Well, I don't know, how about for starters that there are no fucking strippers at Paradise!? Or, ya know, the management there is fantastic and the employees are all treated like people? Or, what about the fact that they have a strict hands off policy!? Also can I just remind you that you are, in fact, also gay so down talking gay establishments like that is kind of hypocritical"

"How in the fuck do you know so much about Paradise!?" Kiba asked incredulously. " And that's not what I fucking meant, you know that" he practically spat at Kankurō's accusation, shooting the taller male a glare for effect.

"I told you ages ago Kiba, the store I work at sells clothes specifically for the club!" Kankurō ran a hand over his face, trying to will his anger back to a manageable level. "We have a deal with Paradise to provide them with their specialty items so long as they continue to do exclusive business with us! Do you ever listen to me!?"

"…..I may recall you saying something along those lines," the younger confessed, avoiding making eye contact with his boyfriend.

"And anyways, what's the fucking issue if Lee **_is_** working there? You've never given a shit about stuff like this before?"

"THAT'S—IT'S…..IT'S DIFFERENT IS ALL," Kiba defended in a loud voice. "I'm not judging or nothin' ," he quickly reassured, "it's just not something I would have expected Lee of all people to do! He still fucking blushes when he hears people talking about sex! I mean, for fucks sakes you can't tell me you didn't freak out a little when you found out!"

Kankurō opened his mouth to deny his boyfriend's accurate assumption, but had the decency to concede the point. "Okay, so even if I did, Lee can do whatever the hell he wants, and Paradise is a good place to do it too."

"Okay, yeah, fine whatever," Kiba waved the topic off impatiently, already over their previous argument, "But what about the fact that he was with Itachi mother fucking Uchiha!?"

"….Alright, so I don't have a good explanation for that one," Kankurō reluctantly supplied after a moment of prolonged silence. "But!" he declared before his boyfriend could interrupt, "I do know that Gai doesn't hire anyone who is remotely dangerous, so I can only assume all the outrageous rumours about Itachi are complete bullshit."

"I mean…" Kiba seemed at a loss as he thumped backwards onto the plush cushion. "Ugh, I hate it when you're fucking right."

Kankurō couldn't hold back his laughter at his lover's admission. With a loud groan from Kiba, the elder of the two settled himself none to gently on top of the other male.

"What was that, I didn't quite hear you?" the tanned brunette teased.

"I said," the younger began in a scathing tone, "That you're a fucking piece of shit."

"Hey now," the taller reprimanded in mock offence in between chuckles, "that's no way to treat someone who just saved your ass from sounding like an ignorant fuck."

"Ugh," the younger rolled his eyes as he shoved his boyfriend's face. "Yeah, yeah fucking live it up."

Kankurō laughed and gave Kiba a quick kiss, their lips smacking noisily, before he sat back on the sofa. The shorter of the two continued to grumble under his breathe as the elder picked up the neglected controller and resumed his game. The brunette settled back against the couch, still pondering the odd scene he had witness less than an hour ago. Admittedly Kiba wasn't very close to Lee. He knew of him in passing, mostly from their shared history class and the brief information Hinata had shared with him when they had "dated" for two months. It was really only when he had started seeing Kankurō, that the raven haired male had popped up more in conversation. Despite this, Lee still didn't feature overly much in their conversations, and so Kiba had never really felt he truly knew the other teen. However, what Kiba had gleaned from the various conversations he had had, was that Lee was tall, overly loud, and probably one of the nicest people to grace this earth. All of these traits together amounted to a pretty innocent picture in the brunette's head (something that Kankurō and anyone who knew Lee had solidified through their own words) and so to have that image shattered…was a little disconcerting. Lee, in his opinion, didn't look like someone who would be comfortable in an establishment like Paradise, or any club for that matter. Kiba had done his fair share of partying, mostly thanks to his boyfriend's love for party's, and thusly was old hat at the club scene. He knew what clubbing was all about, and it often involved the continual grinding of bodies wether willing or not. Or, to be more blunt, not something he could see Lee doing on a regular basis without the threat of his head exploding. However, if what Kankurō said was anything to go by, Paradise didn't seem like the other clubs in Konoha. In fact, if Kiba was being completely honest, most of the things he had heard about Paradise were nothing but vulgar rumours that often focused on bashing the establishment for being predominantly gay. And that was not something Kiba wanted to colour his own judgements. He had struggled himself to open up about his sexuality, worried about the ridicule he would face. Hinata was a perfect cover for his complete lack of interest in the opposite sex since she too held little desire for his form in return. When a certain older brunette wormed his way into his heart, Kiba had no choice but to come clean; and well, it worked out for the best. So maybe he was being a bit harsh in his judgement of Paradise. And, in any case, it wasn't any of his damn business where Lee decided to work. Kiba let out a long sigh, sinking into the cushions further.

"What was that babe?" Kankurō asked distractedly as he continued to play his game.

"Nothin'…I was just imagining how hot Lee must look working at Paradise."

The shrieking "WHAT" that his boyfriend emitted at the purposeful statement was enough to put a sly smile on Kiba's face.

"Oh come off it, we both know what Lee looks like. With a face like his and a bod to match he must be hot shit at Paradise."

"Is this, like a regular thing with you!?" Kankurō sputter, the initial shock at his boyfriend's statement still plastered on his face. "Do you just go around evaluating the hotness of every guy you see?"

"Well that's what I did with you, and you should be thankful that my tastes are so diverse because we ended up together didn't we?" the younger leered, one eyebrow raised cockily.

"Fuck you very much!" The elder retorted, pissed at the insinuation, "And can we not talk about how hot or not my brother's best friend is. I've known Lee too long to see him in any kind of un-pure light, alright?"

"And by too long you mean Gaara would kill you if you admitted to having any 'un-pure' thoughts about his Lee, am I right? But come on man, I remember some of the things you told me your work has in stock. Just imagine Lee in some of them and tell me that isn't a fucking pretty picture!"

Kankurō glared at his boyfriend, unamused at the continual jibbing.

"Seriously, how can you look at that godly piece of ass and not have little Kankurō give a twitch of interest? Even little Kiba has made it know that Lee's ass is a divine gift to all of mankind. In fact, if it wasn't so utterly perfect, I might even be a bit jealous at it's voluptuous shape." Kiba admitted freely, a dreamy look passing over his features.

"Is this really happening? Are you seriously telling me, your fucking boyfriend might I add, that you want to fuck his brother's best friend?"

"Nah, come on babe, you know I prefer to bottom not to mention Lee is totally off limits at this point…." he waved off while easily before a serious look replaced the brunette's usual loose smile, "but I mean, if he ever, ya know, offered I wouldn't say n—"

"That's fucking it," Kankurō growled as he tackled Kiba down on the couch, mercilessly tickling the slighter male pinned beneath him. "If I ever hear you talk about another man like that while your hot, desirable, lover is sitting right here I will not be held responsible for my actions!"

Kiba was wheezing in-between the fits of laughter his boyfriend's incessant tickling was causing. He tried his damnedest to wriggle out of the older male's grasp, but his strength was waning as his continual chuckles drained his ability to function. As tears poured from his eyes, the brunette sucked in a shuttering breath.

"Fine, Fine, you win, I fucking give!" Kiba choked out, pockets of laughter stuttering his speech.

"Say that you think i'm the most gorgeous, hunk of man you've ever had the pleasure of being with!" Kankurō declared as he continued his assault on his helpless boyfriend.

"You are the hottest ass i've ever had, oH MY GOD KANKURŌ FUCKING STOP!"

"And don't forget that you're lucky to be with someone as totally fucking awesome as me!" He insisted, digging into his lover's ribs with teasing hands.

A loud guffaw halted the being response on the tip of Kiba's tongue. As large fingers continued to move over his ticklish ribs, the younger male instead opted to follow along with his boyfriend's demands.

"Fine, f-UCK, you are the best boyfriend ever now seriously gET OFF!"

"Good enough," the elder conceded as he released the younger from his hold.

"You…fucking…dick" Kiba huffed as he tried to get his breathing back to normal.

"That's what i'm here for," the elder smugly stated, lounging back in an arrogant sprawl as his lover continued to heave.

"Now that you have finished your childish display, might I ask for you to explain more about Lee's position at Paradise," a deep baritone broke through the playful moment.

Kankurō and Kiba froze, both staring at each other in utter disbelief. Kiba resolutely refused to move in the slightest, beyond terrified of what the new voice implied. Taking the hint, Kankurō swallowed slowly, praying to any god that would listen that this moment was some sick joke and that he'd wake up to realize it was all vivid nightmare. Turning his head haltingly, brown orbs met the calm cerulean gaze of his brother. The elder sucked in a quick breath between his teeth, scarcely believing the image forming in front of his eyes. Tanned fingers pinched his arm lightly, the sharp sting shattering all hopes of his earlier theory. Gaara was casually leaning against the wall just inside of the living room, his face it's usual stoic mask with his arms crossed loosely in front of him. One, nearly invisible eyebrow was raised in question, silently commanding the other to continue his explanation. The cold, forceful calm of the younger male brooke no argument as to whether his question would be answered.

Kankurō was completely, and utterly fucked.

* * *

Yes, I know, this chapter is really short in comparison to the last couple updates.

I just didn't know how to make it longer without the whole thing dragging on, so I just went "fuck it" and decided to post it anyways.

Thank you all so much for the comments and feedback, I always love to here you're thoughts on this story! Also, to those who picked up on Lee's uniform fiasco, kudos to you because you read my fucking mind!


	20. It'll be fine, right?

Holy shit guys i'm back!

I am so sorry for the long ass break in-between chapters. Life got real busy there for a second, I went on a trip and then when I came back some minor health problems and work consumed me.

But fear not, I have not abandoned this story!

As always, the only thing I own are my feeble attempts at writing something decent!

* * *

Lee stood frozen in place, the loud applause a dull ringing in his hazy mind. He noted a slight tremor running through his body making the fingers on his hand twitch involuntarily. The unexpected words from Gai continued to drift around him, the implications clear and terrifying despite the mask of excitement. Regardless of his turmoil, Lee could feel a large smile stretching foreignly at his face; the forced expression made him wince internally. Never had a smile felt so wrong. As the crowd dissipated the teen could feel his apprehension rising. With a painful thud from his heart, and an unhealthy spike of adrenaline, the raven haired youth broke out in a clammy sheen of sweat. He knew what was going to come next but desperately hoped that against all odds his intuition would be wrong. The approach of Gai swiftly smash his desperate pleas. The only saving grace was the pale hand still clenching his own, the single tether keeping him together as he felt himself rapidly falling to pieces. Either Gai was unawares of the complete melt down Lee was having, or he was choosing to look past it, because he continued to make his way over, the large beaming smile never leaving his masculine face.

"Lee, my most youthful friend! Is this not a most wonderful surprise!" the elder male's voiced boomed loudly, making Lee flinch back at the sheer volume. Never before had he been afraid of the jovial voice of his manager, but in this moment he was petrified.

"How dare you," the deadly calm sneer of Sai's voice rose bitterly from the other teen's side, "You stupid old man, did you ever think that maybe this wouldn't be exciting news for Lee?"

Gai seemed honestly taken aback at the alabaster male's venom, going so far as to take a step back as if he had been physically pushed. His thick eyebrows drew together in concern, and he quickly re-evaluated the trembling form of his newest employee.

"I…..I…." Gai trailed off, shame colouring his normally pleasant tone.

"P-please…." Lee began weakly, bringing his shaking hand to to his lips, trying to physically hide the stammer in his voice. He averted his eyes from the hunched figure in front of him, instead focusing on his scuffed runners. "I….I just need a moment t-to think if that i-is alright?"

"YES….I mean, yes of course! Let us go back to my office, and you can think as long as you need my dear Lotus," Gai quickly agreed, eager to calm the young male's shaken nerves.

The three men quietly made their way over to the small office, easily going undetected amongst the already large crowd. Sai had pulled Lee closer during the short trek, an arm secured around his lithe waist offering what little support he could. The raven haired teen was more than grateful to Sai for this because at the moment he didn't think he could trust his legs not to crumple under him. Gai, whom had gone ahead of them, held the dark office door open, ushering the two teens in without any preamble. Sai guided him over to the small sofa, plopping him down with a gentle shove. Lee slumped down, bringing his hands up to rub his face before resting his head in them. He inhaled shakily, letting out a long breath while Sai sat down beside him. He felt his friend's cold hand as Sai began to rub comforting circles on his back.

"Lee…oh my little Lotus, I am so sorry," came the choked voice of their manager, "I only wanted to give you this opportunity…"

"Lee clearly expressed his discomfort at the prospect of performing when he first started working here," Sai reminded the older male harshly, his deep voice cutting in its coldness.

"Yes, I know my dear friend," Gai sighed, upset clear in his tremulous tone. "I….I just wanted to leave the option available to him. Lee…."

Obsidian eyes peaked from between tanned fingers at the call of his name from the elder.

"Lee, you have been blossoming beautifully since you started working with us at Paradise," Gai beamed through tearful eyes. "I have seen you overcome so much internal strife and external hardships! It awes me to see such a young man move froward in spite of the hand he has been dealt in life. I grow more proud of you every moment we spend together, and I can not help but feel pride in the sheer determination you possess. And although I know you still shy away from many things, and rightfully so, I wanted…..no I hoped that I could give this to you as a promise for the future… t-to show your importance to Paradise….and to me. Kakashi and I are still in need of another employee due to Shikamaru's dawning absence, so please do not feel obligated to take this position. We can always find another performer Lee, but I can not find another you."

Gai suddenly stood from the chair he had been sitting in, dropping to the floor in a formal bow. Lee jolted back from his slouched position, haltingly standing at the sudden action on the older male's part.

"Please forgive me for my reprehensible actions!" The heavily muscled man wailed loudly, his shoulders shaking with the force of his sobs.

For a moment Lee could do nothing but stare, eyes blown wide at the sight in front of him. Another loud sob from Gai had him snapping back to himself. Falling to his knees ungracefully, Lee gently gripped the broad, trembling shoulders of his manager, his own dark eyes filling with tears. Gai lifted his head to look Lee in the eyes, his face a heartbreakingly ugly mess of tears and snot. Strong arms crushed the teen to a firm chest as the elder continued to sob through a litany of apologies. An amused huff from Sai broke through the moment.

"All it ever seems you two do is cry together," Sai teased, "I guess I'll take my leave then, seeing as everything has returned to…well, normal and Gai in the same sentence is a bit outlandish at the best of times, so we'll go with the norm. I'll see you later Lee, don't let him talk you into anything."

With that, the pale teen rose from the couch and swiftly exited the office, leaving the other men to their reconciliation.

"I was never upset with you Gai," Lee confessed in the silence that had fallen after Sai's leave. "I-I was just… ** _shocked_**. I never expected that you would even consider me to fill Shikamaru's place. And, if I-I am being honest...I do not know how ready I am to fill such a large void."

"No Lee, it is not a spot for you to fill," Gai corrected as he pulled back from their embrace to look the young male in the face. He hastily wiped roughly at his face, clearing it of tears. "In fact, even if Shikamaru had not decided to leave, I was still going to bring up the possibility to you" the elder revealed helping Lee to his feet so they could move to the leather sofa. "I had not even considered making an announcement, but I got so very excited when Shikamaru revealed to me his leaving, and the prospect of surprising you with my request well….I may have gone a bit overboard…"

Lee couldn't help but chuckle at the older male's sheepish expression. He had calmed down significantly during the time they had spent in the small office, no longer were his thoughts a chaotic jumble of fear and despair. Taking a deep breath, the young male prepared himself to confront the events from earlier.

"I—" Lee began before Gai hastily interrupted him.

"No Lee please wait," the elder pleaded, a serious expression making the harsh lines of his face stand out. "I know how very enthusiastic you are about taking on challenges such as the one I presented to you tonight…but Sai is right. I do not want you to agree to what I am saying solely because you wish to make me happy. I do not want you to feel as if you have been pressured into accepting this position."

"I…t-thank you for that Gai….however," Lee inhaled sharply, hoping his voice wouldn't tremble, "I….am not so apposed to the idea of performing as I once was."

"Now Lee, are you su—"

"I promise you I am not just saying this to, to make you like me or, or be proud of me," the young male said earnestly. "I know I have done that in the past….but I-I want to do this for myself! That is not to say that I am unafraid, because it does terrify me to think of performing in front of others and to put myself in a position in which I can be easily judged. But it is like you said earlier, I feel like I have been blossoming and…and I really like that feeling. I'm finally….finally starting to really like myself…." he trailed off, embarrassed at his overly truthful confession.

Gai concentrated on the vulnerable hunch of Lee's shoulders, and the crimson blush of shame that marred his coffee skin. He had known from the beginning of their short friendship that Lee was prone to following any instructions in the hopes of keeping everyone appeased. At this point, it was so ingrained in the younger to just agree that it almost frightened Gai at the power it gave others over his precious employee. The worst of it all was that Gai knew it was a latent defence mechanism borne from the continual hatred Lee had received growing up; if he did exactly what people wanted of him, then there was less for them to dislike about him. Gai clenched his fists at the unwelcome truth. Hate was a strong word, but in that moment the elder truly hated the people who had shaped such a wonderful person into such a misshapen version of themselves. The older male once again took in the site of the young male before him, his body language open and trusting despite the conflict warring inside him. Gai hadn't been stretching the truth earlier when he said Lee had been blossoming. The raven haired youth was slowly coming to learn that it was okay for him to do things for himself. The amount he had opened up to Gai was as reassuring as it was heartbreaking. It showed his willingness to move forward; and that, to Gai, was more than enough to trust Lee's words.

"We will start of slow, my dear Lotus."

Lee's head shot up at Gai's acceptance, the fearful look around his eyes smoothing out instantaneously.

"You will need to practice of course, something that will demand much of your time. I am certain, however, that you will have no issue in dedicating your time to this endeavour! The sincerity of you words have moved me Lee, I am most confident in your ability to pursue this options for yourself, my friend. I hope you find happiness in this venture to match the happiness you have given to me!" Gai laughed jovially, his tone characteristically light and loud. He clapped Lee on the shoulder, giving the teen a reassuring squeeze. "I have the utmost faith in you Lee, I just ask that you pace yourself to suit your needs."

Lee smiled tentatively in response to the proud smile on Gai's face. He was still nervous about the prospect of performing, but he found that queazy feeling was quickly being dominated by the excitement of trying something outside his comfort zone. Something he could do for himself.

"YOSH!" he exclaimed, clenching his hands in determined fists, "I swear I will try my hardest or I will take double the amount of serving shifts with no tips!"

"That is the energy I like to see Lee!" Gai boomed, "Training will start this weekend, if that works for you!"

Gai and Lee remained in the office for most of the night, putting together a rough schedule outlining when Lee would come in to practice. Paradise had several themed nights, each of which had it's own corresponding routine. These routines often involved all of the performers taking the stage in delightfully skilled displays that demonstrated the caliber of Paradise's workers. Lee would be tasked with learning these routines first, a staple in any dancers repertoire. That was the easy part. The harder would be choreographing new dances to suit Lee's stage persona, something else all together they would have to plan. Each performer at Paradise had their own persona and, in turn, routines which catered to the various clientele of the club. Sai, much like his own person, was infinitely aloof and collected on stage. His coolness made him a mysterious figure that presented an unattainable fantasy to the audience. Itachi, on the other hand, played the part of a handsome, attentive lover. He was personable and suave, sensually offering a night of fun to the customers. Shikamaru had completed the trio with his contemptuous play. He was often cast as the uninterested, uncaring, fiend. Shikamaru would purposefully brush people off, if not ignore them completely. _Something,_ Gai informed him, _that many people enjoyed._ Lee would have to find his place amongst the two other figures in Shikamaru's absence; a natural balance to their characters.

A knock on the office door had the pair breaking apart, Gai rising to answer the intrusion. Sai peeked into the room, looking at his friend's relaxed posture, and Gai's happy face.

"It is time to leave, Kakashi locked the front doors fifteen minutes ago." Sai began, drawing his own conclusions to what had occurred during his leave. "I assume you will be needing me to come in this weekend to train Lee, is that correct?"

"Ah yes, Sai, thank you for volunteering my friend!" Gai stretched, joints popping back into place after their prolonged disuse.

"Come Lee, we must get you home," the pale teen turned his attention to his friend, beckoning him to follow.

Lee, following Gai's example, stretched out of his prone position. He moved towards his manager, a serene smile stretching his lips.

"Thank you for everything tonight Gai, I appreciate your continual patience and trust," Lee thanked, bowing his head.

"Ah, there is no need for this my little Lotus!" Gai pulled Lee into another hug, holding the teen close before letting him go. "It is I who should be thanking you for your forgiveness at my horrible behaviour. Now, before you can protest, have a most wonderful night Lee, and I can not wait to see you next!"

Gai cheerfully pushed the two out of his office, waving quickly before shutting the door. Lee smiled to himself, falling instep beside Sai as they made their way to to the exit at the back of the club.

"So you agreed then," Sai glanced sideways at the teen, nothing in his tone indicating a hint of emotion.

"Yes, I…I feel like this will be good for me," Lee confided, looking up to the ceiling. "I want to continue to move forward…I-I want to keep blossoming Sai. I have held myself back for so long, I want to see what I am really capable of."

Sai hummed at his coworker's words as they made their way into the cool night air. "That is a noble cause indeed," the pale teen sagely nodded his head. "I suppose I have to support you in this then." A ghost of a smile played at his lips as he looked at Lee, "I hear that's what friends do."

"Thank you Sai!" Lee squealed happily as he jumped at his friend, surprising the other into an impromptu hug. "It is going to be so fun with you helping me along the way!"

"You say that now, but lets see if you feel the same way after hours spent doing the same section over and over." Sai scoffed as he maneuvered them around the corner.

"Trust me friend, it will be gre—"

"So this is what Paradise looks like," a low voice rumbled.

"And who are you?" Sai questioned the stranger harshly as he felt Lee go rigid in his arms. He didn't know what was happening, but whatever it was wasn't good.

"Hmm, I could ask you the same thing," the shorter male retorted without any true heat behind his words, seemingly ambivalent to the accusatory tone of the other male. "I am Gaara Sabaku, and i'm here to pick up Lee."

* * *

So, I know this chapter is relatively short in comparison to the others, and thus a shitty makeup chapter for my absence, but I really needed to end it here.

I've just been really milking these cliffhangers, haven't I?

Thank you all so much for your continual support of this fic despite my abhorrent updating habits! I really appreciate all of your comments and I hope I can continue to entertain you all! And, as always, comments and reviews are not necessary but are greatly appreciated!


	21. Let's Talk

Well holy shit guys, I'm not dead.

I'm going to be real here, I ended having to deal with some more health issues near the end of the summer and that kind of blew a giant hole in my plans to write some more. While I am now 100000% back in my prime, I am also currently in my fourth year of University. This means that all of my time belongs to school. Let me just tell you, reading week is a god send right now...

Well, you've waited long enough, so without further ado here is the next chapter!

Nothing belongs to me except for this piece of shit I call a story!

* * *

Lee felt sick.

Of course after everything finally pieced together, it would just as soon tear itself asunder; such was his life apparently.

The startling truth in this moment, that Lee's brain unhelpfully repeated over and over again, was painstakingly clear: Gaara knew.

There was no going back.

Distantly, Lee was aware of Sai and Gaara's voices, the former's bitter and acrid while the latter's remained stoically neutral. What they were saying was beyond the raven haired male, any higher brain function he was once capable of was currently being overwhelmed by the churning mantra of " _Gaara knows."_ His heart beat furiously against his ribcage, pumping sick amounts of adrenaline through him. He was left feeling shaky and ill. Lee jerkingly released his iron grip from his friend's shoulders, forcing himself to turn to face the redhead (a feet that had him teetering precariously on his jellied legs).

Lee opened his mouth uselessly, for no sound was forthcoming. He ran trembling hands roughly over his face, leaving his bangs wild and messy. He inhaled noisily through his mouth and prepared to speak once more.

"G-gaara, p-please…just-t…." He trailed off ineffectually, the rest of his sentence turning to ash on his heavy tongue. Obsidian orbs refused to meet the cerulean gaze he could feel burning into his downturned face. He swallowed loudly in the ensuing silence.

"Now just fucking wait a moment here," Sai hissed between clenched teeth, the profanity harshening his generally mild tone. Lee didn't even jolt when the other raven haired male's hand gripped desperately at his elbow. "I don't know who you are, but you are clearly making Lee uncomfortable. You need to back down."

The obvious threat hung heavily between them.

"I can see there has been a misunderstanding," Gaara finally spoke up, his voice just as calm and unemotional as always. "You appear to be under the impression that there is some sort of hostility I bear towards Lee." the aforementioned teen heard the crunch of gravel as the redhead moved closer to the pair. "There is not."

"That's all fine and well, but does that look like someone who is happy to s—" Sai's abrupt intake of breath snapped Lee out of his daze. When the scene in front of him finally registered, he couldn't believe his eyes.

The hand Sai had been using to grasp Lee's elbow was now being held none too gently between Gaara's own. The redhead's dark rimmed orbs were piercing into Sai's blank face. Lee had never seen such fury in his long time friend's gaze. It left his blood cold.

"Gaara please!" he practically begged as his tanned hands scrambled at Gaara's hoody covered arm.

The younger teen immediately released the offending hand, looking down at his own with a sneer of disgust. "He was hurting you Lee, that's unacceptable."

The elder faintly registered the light throbbing in his elbow at Gaara's words. He hadn't even noticed, and neither had Sai if his pained flinch at Gaara's revelation was anything to go by.

"I am so sorry Lee, I did-"

"We are going," The redhead rudely interrupted, uncaring for what he considered a pathetic excuse from the pale male. Nothing could ever excuse that kind of behaviour towards his best friend.

Gaara turned towards Lee, further dismissing the unfamiliar teen, and placed a hand gently on the taller male's lower back. When he made to leave his hand was met with resistance. Questioningly, he looked to obsidian orbs. Gaara had never felt any sort of fear in his life, but the sheer anger and disappointment on Lee's face had him recoiling, his hand snapping back as if burned. His blue eyes widened slightly as his heart gave a painful thud. He grit his teeth against the unpleasant sensation.

Lee rushed over to Sai the moment Gaara backed down, grabbing his coworker's hands.

"Sai I am so sorry, I know you would never hurt me on purpose. P-please excuse Gaara, he was just concerned," the younger of the two pleaded, eyebrows scrunched as his lips trembled.

Sai's eyes narrowed as he glanced over at the scowling redhead. His glare softened somewhat as he noticed the other's pale hand clenched furiously at the centre of his sweater. Their eyes met and the elder smirked as he purposefully pulled Lee into a hug, noting with delight the other's incensed glower at the action.

"Do not worry Lee, you did nothing wrong," Sai reassured sincerely, his tone gentle, "Your friend, however, has much to be desired."

"Gaara is just…he does not react well to people he does not know," the smaller of the two tried to explain.

"Hmmm, or something like that I suppose," Sai mused cryptically.

Lee cocked his head to the side in confusion. He felt like he had missed out on a chunk of their conversation, or at least whatever had led Sai to his odd conclusion.

"Are you okay to go with him, or do you want to come back to Gai's?" The alabaster teen asked seriously as he leaned into Lee's ear, his voice pitched low so that only they could hear.

"I…I shall go with Gaara. Thank you my friend, but I must talk to him about this…"

"Very well, have a safe night Lee. If anything happens, feel free to call me. If not, text me when you can." With that, the elder male gave the younger one final squeeze, followed by a chaste kiss to Lee's beautifully tanned cheek. He shot the silently fuming Gaara a smug smirk, before leaving the two friends.

Silence once again overwhelmed the pair. The soft echo of Sai's footsteps had faded minutes prior, leaving them tense and awkward.

Lee shuffled nervously. He had never felt this uncomfortable around the redhead before. Lee was used to being everything else around Gaara, but not this. He hated it. He didn't want their friendship to change, but he knew it would. Everything was going to change. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to stop the sudden onslaught of despair. His emotions had been all over the place today. Leftover adrenaline from both Gai's announcement and Gaara's unexpected visit thrummed unpleasantly in his veins. He had gone from shocked disbelief when the younger male had showed up, to such intense anger when the redhead had slighted Sai, it was dizzying to recall. He had never felt such an intensely negative emotion towards Gaara, or anyone for that matter, but the younger had been so rude, so uncaring towards his coworker that it had truly angered the tanned male. The actual feeling of being truly angry had taken him by surprise. It was a sick feeling, so dark and nauseating in its intensity. He had wanted nothing more than to yell at his good friend, a desire he had never truly experienced before. Lee didn't like it one bit. After the first, horrible surge of molten anger, disappointed and confusion overwhelmed him in its stead. The raven just couldn't decipher the meaning behind his friend's blatant mistreatment of Sai. And then there was the guilt that washed over him in rolling waves of shame and regret. He knew, deep down, that Gaara was not trying to be crude and distasteful, he was probably just as thrown off as Lee was about the predicament they now found themselves in. _It is not everyday one learns that one of their closest friends is working at a gay club,_ Lee mused weakly, his own internal voice sounding both bitter and brittle. Now, however, as his arms hung limply at his sides, he just felt tired.

"Are we going to your house…or mine," Lee inquired in a flat tone, his pitiful voice breaking the standstill.

"Mine," was Gaara's equally unenthusiastic response.

Lee nodded his head jerkingly as he began to walk on auto pilot, the sound of Gaara's footsteps following behind him. The ominous crunching of the other's gate felt like some sort of permanent sentence to the elder, almost as if his past was finally catching up to him. He knew that keeping his work from his friend's would end up disastrously, he just hadn't assumed it would spiral out as fast as it did. Despite it all, Lee couldn't bring himself to regret his choice; he loved Paradise and everyone he had met there. The real question, however, was could he make it through his friend's disapproval without falling apart completely? _I guess I will know soon enough,_ he huffed a humourless laugh as his shoulders slumped further. Lee had been so absorbed in his thoughts he hadn't noticed Gaara slowly catch up to match his pace. A smooth, cold hand slipped into his own, effectively drawing his attention to the shorter male now beside him.

"I did not…" Gaara cleared his throat, clenching his other hand into a tight fist. He let a deep breath fall from his pale lips, the air curling in white puffs through the cold night air, before he spoke again. "I did not mean to upset you."

Lee looked at the redhead for a prolonged time. He noted the guarded look in his friend's eyes, the normal crystalline blue iris dull and morose. The pale teen's jaw was clenched in what must have been a painful manner, and his face was waxy from the intensity of its rigidness. Lee let out a breath of his own and grabbed the other's hand more firmly with his own.

"I know my friend, and I forgive you."

The rest of their walk was filled with silence, save for the soft passing of their footfalls. They soon reached the large pristine doors of Gaara's home, the younger of the two retracting his hand and inviting the elder in. Lee had no sooner made it through the doors before Kankurō's panicked voice filled the room.

"Oh my god, Lee I am so fucking sorry! I swear to you I didn't mean for Gaara to find out this way. I just, I just keep fucking shit up! God damn it, fucking hell, I SUCK!" the brunette's voice rose until he was near shouting his last sentence at full volume. He jerked his arms frantically as he tried to reassure the raven haired male who stood stock still in their front entrance.

"Where is Kiba?" Gaara questioned instead of acknowledging what his brother had just spouted.

"Wha— excus…WHO FUCKING CARES WHERE HE IS!? I sent him home, OBVIOUSLY, why the FUCK would I keep him around here for?" Kankurō looked about ready to throttle his sibling at his inane query. Before he could go through with said plan, his own words caught up to him. The lightly tanned male's face went from being flushed to ashen, his eyes widening comically. "SHIT!" He shouted as he grabbed his hair in an anguished grip, "FUCK, Lee, K-kiba knows too! I promise you, I only told him because he saw you on your way to paradise. WAIT, fuck, that's even worse of me to say! OH my GOD could I be any more of a human trash can!?"

"Kankurō, it is perfectly alright, p-please do not worry," Lee waved off gently, trying to dispel his friend's panic. "I do not blame you."

"OH MY GOD DON'T JUST FORGIVE ME!" The elder shouted in response. He grabbed Lee's thin shoulders and began to shake him roughly. "I SHOULDN'T HAVE CONFIRMED ANYTHING WITH KIBA, I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE AWARE OF WHO WAS LISTENING, I SHOULD HA—"

"Enough," Gaara sighed heavily, pulling the back of his brother's shirt until his grip on Lee let go. "What happened is in the past, it can not be changed so we must accept it and move on."

"But…"

"It is as Gaara says, Kankurō. I am only sorry that I put you in such a tough position, please forgive me." Lee went to bow but was stopped by Kankurō's large hands.

"No, please, Lee this isn't your fault man. Fuck, you should be making me beg for an apology here. Hell, you should just stop talking to me all together at this point. But I know you won't, you're too damn nice for that. Kiba'd be all over the whole begging for forgiveness shit, but hey, you're not him. Don't think this is your fault though Lee, I fucked up. Simple as that. And for that, i'm truly sorry kid."

Lee managed a small smile at Kankurō's words. The older tanned male could be brutally honest as times (which seemed to be a family trait if one knew Gaara and Temari well enough), but he was just as sincerely honest when it came to himself and his misdeeds. While Lee honestly did not find Kankurō at fault, he appreciated the truthful sentiment behind his words.

"You are forgiven Kankurō," The raven haired teen gently replied.

"We shall be retiring to my room, do not attempt to eavesdrop," Gaara smoothly intoned after the conversation had dwindled into silence.

Kankurō looked quickly at Lee, trying to ascertain the younger's emotional state, but the thin male had already turned his gaze back to the redhead.

With a quick goodnight to Kankurō, the pair made their way to Gaara's room. The shorter male pushed open his door, ushering Lee in without a single word. The taller teen made his way over to Gaara's large bed and perched himself awkwardly at its edge. The snick of the door shutting, followed by the distinct click of a lock, had the tanned male tensing. There was no turning back.

"Lee—"

Something in Lee broke in that instance, and before he could stop himself he launched himself off of Gaara's bed and proceeded to pace restlessly as a stream of words flew from his mouth.

"I-I know, it does not seem like a good thing, me and a g-gay club, but I promise you that if only you knew….oh, and please do not hate Sai, he is a good friend, truly! He has supported me so very much in this short time, and he has helped me to realize so many things about myself. That is not to say that the gang is any less helpful, oh no absolutely not! Sai is just, he has gone through similar things and…and…. well Paradise is so very perfect, Gai is so generous and kind and everyone there is, they just are truly good people. A-and it is not Kankurō's fault, he just happened to see me when Gai brought me shopping—which just shows you how kind he is really, because—and then he invited me to dinner. It was so delicious Gaara, can you not see that he is a good person! A-and I know I did not tell you, and I was not being truthful and that makes me a truly t-terrible friend, but I love Paradise and I will not….I refuse to….please do n—"

At some point during Lee's rant Gaara had crossed the room to stand as close to the pacing male as possible. At his last desperately torn utterance, the redhead pulled the other teen into his arms, holding him firmly.

"I do not want you to quit." Gaara's muffled voice spoke into the juncture of Lee's neck and shoulder.

"WHA—" Lee squawked awkwardly, still feeling wrong footed from the impromptu embrace.

"Just be truthful and trust me. Start at the beginning." Gaara soothed as he led them back to the bed.

And with a deep breathe, Lee did just that. He told Gaara about his struggle to find employment and how Paradise had been the first, and only, place to take his application seriously. He divulged his own muddled feelings before his first shift, and how torn he had felt to work in such an establishment that had been so vilified to him at the orphanage. Lee relaxed into the embrace as he spoke of Gai's kindness and how the younger male had felt a deep connection to the older man. And how, sometimes late at night, he would silently wish that Gai had been his father growing up. Lee spoke for a long period just on his friendship with Sai, and how grateful he was for his new friend's support in his more troubling times. He even spilled the strange encounter with Sasuke's long lost brother, being sure to emphasize how wrong the assumptions they had were and how most of the information was in fact lies fed to them by Sasuke's less than trustworthy parents. By the time Lee was done, well over an hour had passed. The two men had ended up sitting facing each other on Gaara's large bed, holding each others hands in the small space between them.

"I….I do not know what else to say," Lee confided in a hoarse whisper. "I…I only hope that you can accept….this…me, Paradise, everything….everything that I have said."

Lee hesitated to make eye contact with the other teen, his head jerking several times before their eyes met. The raven haired teen's chest felt lighter and his shoulders less stiff after his grand revelation. However, this new found lightness did nothing to quell his apprehension at his friend's response.

"I find no shame in you working at Paradise," Gaara began smoothly, his voice low and calm. "If it was truly a bad place Kankurō would never have remained at a job affiliated with it, let alone help to keep your secret when he found out."

Lee released the breath he didn't realize he was holding in a long, shaky exhale. His tanned hands squeezed the pale ones held by his own, offering a silent thanks at his friend's acceptance.

"However," Lee tensed at the word, unsure of where the conversation was now going.

"I am ashamed at your lack of faith in me," The redhead averted his gaze at his blatant emotional confession (something he was not used to expressing in words). He clenched his jaw forcefully as he urged himself to continue. "…However, I am even more ashamed at my own actions tonight."

"Gaara, it is alright I have already forgi—"

"No, it is not okay Lee," the pale teen practically growled as his own frustrations bubbled to the surface.

Lee smiled softly at his friend's struggle. Gaara had never been good at expressing himself, something the elder teen knew aggravated the other male to no was so familiar he couldn't help but be happy at seeing his friend act so typically himself, it gave Lee hope that everything would be alright. His smile faltered slightly as he recalled the events that had led up to this encounter.

"I will be honest…" the raven's voice spoke softly, "I was…truly angry at the way you treated Sai. I have never before felt an anger as the one that rose in me at that moment. I was…f-frightened by my own reaction and….and I too was ashamed. But….but mostly I was angry with myself for allowing all of this to happen. I-if I had just told you sooner, we could have avoided everything."

"You always take the blame, even when it is not yours to carry," Gaara scolded mildly as he pulled Lee practically into his lap. "I understand why you kept your secrets Lee, it has been hard for you."

"I….life is, it is difficult at times for everyone...but, I feel, that for me I have been lucky," A small beautiful smile lifted rosey cheeks as Lee looked into Gaara's eyes. "I have so many wonderful friends, and an amazing job, and I am able to eat good food, and go to school. So while I may have struggled at times, I am especially fortunate to have so much love and support in my life now. I can feel myself changing everyday for the better. I can finally say that I actually know who I am and that I am confident in who that person is."

"You…" The redhead trailed off uncharacteristically as his cerulean eyes narrowed heatedly. He took in a stuttering breath as he leaned his forehead against Lee's tanned one. "….amaze me."

Lee felt his skin flush brilliantly as Gaara's sweet breath fanned across his face. His heart kicked into overdrive as it drummed a spectacular rhythm against his ribcage.

"G…Gaara wha—"

Before Lee could finish his sentence, soft warm lips claimed his own.

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So are cliffhangers just going to become a trend for me, or what?

Well I hope you guys enjoys this, and I can't thank you enough for the continual support this story has received regardless of my abhorrent updating schedule!

I will apologize in advanced for my lack of updates, but I hope that you'll stick around to see this story through with me!

Comments and reviews as always are so very appreciated!


	22. Well That Happened

I am back. Once again, eight billion years after my last update, I have finally returned with another chapter.

*WARNING* this chapter is a bit "mature", but only at the beginning really. So be warned!

As always, nothing belongs to me except for this dumb little thing! Enjoy!

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Childish imagining of his first kiss had been typical overly idealistic visions; a light peck, followed by hand holding, and everything would be shimmery and soft around the edges. Sweet, simple, innocent. In reality, it was overwhelming. It almost felt like too much at once, and yet not nearly enough. Lee's thick lashes fluttered against his enflamed cheeks as his large eyes drifted shut. Starbursts seemed to flash behind his closed eyes, each tiny burst sending tingles through his body as Gaara shifted closer, his lips settling more firmly against his own. The redhead's hands rubbed up Lee's thighs, caressing around his hips to settle firmly just above the swell of Lee's ass as the pair exchanged soft pecks. Lee ran his own shaky hands up Gaara's toned chest, latching on to broad shoulders to better ground himself in this unexpected moment. For one glorious second everything seemed to shut off in Lee's cluttered mind; all of the pressing issues of the past couple hours melted away leaving the teen nearly lightheaded in the absence of his buzzing thoughts. All Lee could focus on was the sensation of warm, silken lips meeting his own in lingering kisses. Gaara wrapped his arms more securely around Lee's lithe waist, pulling the elder fully onto his lap. A soft mewl escaped Lee as the shift pressed his forming erection into Gaara's firm thigh. _Oh,_ the raven thought belatedly as more heated kissed were pressed to his plush lips, _I am getting hard._ Lee's brain kicked into high gear as that information raced into the forefront of his mind. He was hard. In Gaara's lap. The grip he had on Gaara's shoulders worked to his advantage as he pushed away from the redhead. The shove had been abrupt enough that Lee succeeded in falling through Gaara's hold, the younger too startled to tighten his gentle grip. Lee fell backwards onto the bed, bringing his knees up to hide his shame, his hands quickly covering his crimson face.

The scene would have been humorous if it wasn't so mortifying. Lee shifted to his side, scrunching his long body up as much as he could, forming a tight ball. After a prolonged moment of tense silence, he felt Gaara move on the bed, the rustling of the sheets causing Lee to flinch. He desperately wished he could disappear. A warm hand settled on Lee's upper back, rubbing soothing circles between his shoulder blades. The raven haired teen waited with bated breath for something to happen—anything really, angry words or some sort of sign that Gaara was none too pleased. But nothing came. The soothing circles continued. The prone male let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in a shaky whoosh. Relief washed over him despite the lingering embarrassment that bubbled just below the surface. Lee parted the fingers shielding his eyes to peek up at the redhead. Gaara's typically stoic face was almost soft as cerulean eyes stared fondly down at the older teen. Obsidian orbs darted away from the younger's gaze, his cheeks heating anew at the unwavering blue of the other's gaze. Lee moved his hands from his face, relaxing slightly as the redhead continued his ministrations. He moved his arms to wrap them tightly around his knees, hugging them to his chest.

"I…sorry," Lee whispered as he rubbed his face gently against the sheets. He just had to go and make it awkward. His first kiss and Lee had panicked. Perfect. Something hot and hateful slithered down Lee's spine, causing him to scrunch his eyes closed tight and curl his toes. In that moment Lee wanted nothing more than to curse his upbringing for making him react the way he did. Gaara hadn't deserved the abrupt dismissal he had received.

"Do not be sorry," the other male responded, his tone light and steady.

 _That is easier said than done,_ Lee thought bitterly as he puffed his cheeks in a rare bought of frustration. He had never been one to be petulant, but in this moment all he felt was stiff, uncomfortable, and more than a little embarrassed for what he had done. He deserved to have a moment of self pity. Against his will, the soothing patterns being rubbed into his back had Lee relaxing, his frustrations dissipating the longer Gaara continued to offer him comfort and support. Slowly his legs unfurled from their clenched position, his arms coming to rest on the bed beside his head.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of," Gaara finally spoke after the tense atmosphere had returned to normal.

Lee looked once more at Gaara, the latter's face open and affectionate in ways it had never been before this moment. Lee's breath stuttered in his chest.

"I… thank you Gaara, but it…it is…difficult," Lee confessed, maneuvering himself into an upright position. His problem had long since gone away, to Lee's relief, allowing him to sit easily beside his friend without the threat of another awkward outburst. The two teens sat with their backs propped against the wall, their arms pressed against each other's. It felts like small offering of comfort and solidarity to Lee, for which he was grateful.

"I know that vile place has poisoned your mind in many ways," The redhead intoned gruffly as he mentioned the orphanage, "but do not think yourself shameful for the reactions of your body."

"I…am trying. It-it has not been…easy for me," Lee's voice was soft, nearly a whisper, as he continued to be open and honest with Gaara. Tanned fingers plucked aimlessly at the bed sheets. "I have…I could not be comfortable with…my body's _reactions_ at Kage's. It was not… _appropriate_ for me to have…such thoughts… and desires."

Gaara's hand found Lee's as he laced their fingers together.

"Gaara…." Lee's voice wavered slightly as he stared intently at the sheets now fisted between his free hand. He took a deep breath and forced himself to look directly at the redhead. His large eyes were watery but determined as he took in the familiar face of one of his best friends. "I…I have….I have loved you for a very long time."

Gaara's heavy lidded eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly as his jaw seemed to slacken at the revelation.

"It…it was not always easy, " realizing how his words sounded, Lee hastily back-peddled, "that is not to say that you were difficult to love, because it was in fact the opposite which is what made it so hard for me. The first time that I even realized perhaps my affections for you went… _beyond_ friendship, I was terrified. It was everything I had feared. I was even more of…of a _freak._ And I tried, so, _so_ hard to stop these… _feelings._ "

Lee laughed bitterly as he recalled all of the vain attempts he had made to try and stifle his growing adoration. "I should have known nothing would be able to change how I felt for you…how I feel. But back then, I…I could not feel _that_ way. And so… I pretended. And eventually, I convinced myself that the act was true. The longer I pretended the easier it became for me to live this….this _lie._ You were my friend. Nothing more," Lee's eyes grew distant as the memories of all the different ways he had avoided Gaara surfaced in his mind. Refusing affection, and tip-toeing around physical contact. It all seemed so selfish now, how he could be so free with his other friends and yet he would not afford Gaara the same. It hurt Lee to admit his own shortcomings, not because it reflected poorly on him, but because his actions must have hurt Gaara greatly. Lee swallowed against the lump that had formed at the memories. He cleared his throat quietly before continuing.

"But once I was… _free_ of Saint Kage, the lie…well it fell apart. I did not have to pretend anymore, there was no one to constantly monitor me and judge my actions or lack thereof. It was scary, to finally face myself after years of pretence and pretend. To find all these locked away feelings, just waiting to escape. I am ashamed of how I tried so hard to make you less. And I-I am ashamed at deceiving myself. And so I just…I want to thank you Gaara. Thank you for staying with me through these lies and deceptions. And I-I want you to know that I do….that after all this time I still love you. Perhaps…perhaps even more than even I t-thought," Lee's voice broke on the final confession, his face heating once more as he openly stated his feelings.

During his speech Lee's head had lowered to rest on his raised knees, his confidence dwindling as his greatest secret had spilled forth from his mouth. Tonight had really been a night of revelations on Lee's part. Although the confession had felt amazing, Lee was not foolish enough to believe the aftermath would be nearly as cut and dry. Yes, he loved Gaara. For a very long time at that, even though he had tried to convince himself otherwise. And he had even thought, just maybe, Gaara had felt at least the slightest amount of affection for him. But he could be wrong. Perhaps Gaara had just been offering comfort and Lee had taken advantage. He stopped himself before he could come up with any more scenarios. Too many times had Lee misinterpreted people's actions, and so he would not tell himself something was fact until presented with the definitive truth. Lee grew uncomfortable as sweat began to pool between their clasped hands, his own tanned one being the culprit. He was sure it felt just as disgusting to Gaara, but the pale hand remained stationary. Lee wanted nothing more than to pull his hand free and save Gaara from the horrible wetness as the silence stretched between them. The heat gathering was unbearable. Just as he was about to slip his fingers away, the younger squeezed his hand and let go. Even though that was what he had wanted, Lee wasn't sure if this was better or worse. The raven's heart dropped as the redhead slipped off the bed. _I see,_ Lee lamented as his eyes filled to the brim with tears, _this is how it ends._ He didn't want Gaara to see anymore of his pathetic outbursts, burying his head more firmly into his knees. Lee desperately willed his trembling lip to stop so he could leave the house without causing Gaara anymore discomfort.

"You are mine now."

The definitive tone of Gaara's voice had Lee's head snapping to attention, a few tears escaping from his eyes at the sudden movement.

"W-what?" Lee's voice cracked and wavered as his face scrunched in confusion.

"You love me," Gaara deadpanned, face once again in its stoic mask.

"Yes?" Lee had no idea where this was going.

"Then you are mine," the younger declared as if it was an obvious fact.

"I…I am s-sorry Gaara, b-but I…I do not understand what you are saying," Lee rubbed at his face as he attempted to sort out what Gaara was trying to get at.

"I…" for the first time in all of their friendship, Gaara was unable to hold Lee's curious eye contact.

Lee was so bewildered he forgot completely about his own discomfort, and instead moved to the edge of the bed to better get a look at his friend's downturned face. What he saw nearly had him falling face first onto the floor; Gaara was honest to god blushing. _How cute,_ Lee's mind conjured without permission. The raven shook his head to clear it of such poorly timed thoughts.

"I am…what I am saying," Gaara growled in frustration at his own hesitation, his fists clenched at his sides. "The _feeling_ …is mutual."

That did have Lee falling of the bed as his arms gave out from underneath him. He fell unceremoniously onto the unforgiving wood floor, just barely stopping himself from landing face first.

"I….you…?" was all Lee could muster from his awkward position as Gaara stared down at him.

"….Yes," came the serious reply as pale hands scooped Lee off the floor.

"Yes?" Lee couldn't help the way his whole face began to light up, his large eyes splayed wide in happy disbelief.

Gaara's whole demeanour softened as he looked at Lee, a serene smile stretching unfamiliarly across his handsome face. Lee's heart skipped a beat. Or two.

"Yes."

No one could have stopped Lee as he jumped onto his best friend, his arms latching securely around Gaara's neck while his legs wrapped around Gaara's toned torso. The redhead was quick to react, catching the lithe teen in his own arms, supporting him as the raven laughed almost hysterically. The laughter quickly transformed into gasping sobs as Lee buried his head into the crook of Gaara's neck and shoulder.

"Y-you…t-too…I-I am so g-glad," Lee hiccuped between tears as he clung to the redhead.

Gaara buried his own face in Lee's neck as he ran one of his hand's up and down Lee's back.

"Yes, me too," Gaara reassured.

Lee cried for a short while longer, the emotional turmoil of the past couple months rushing out in a massive release. If he had felt lighter before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now. Gaara had sat them back on the bed, Lee once again in his lap, and wrapped the blankets around them in a sort of cocoon. Gaara thanked his past self as he snatched the plain kleenex box from the small shelf built into his bed frame, placing it beside them so Lee could grab the tissues whenever he felt the need. After Lee's breathing had finally evened out once more, the raven lifted his head so he could look properly at Gaara. His face must have been a mess, all red and splotchy, but Gaara merely gazed back at him, his blue eyes calm and accepting.

"If…if you do not mind me asking," Lee hesitated as he reached for a kleenex, blowing his noise quietly. He crumpled up the tissue in his hand, as he weighed his words carefully. "Um…h-how long have you…"

"Felt this way?" Gaara saved Lee the trouble as he finished the elder's sentence.

"You do not have to answer if you do not fee—"

Gaara pulled Lee into a tight hug, cutting of his protest before he could start to doubt himself even more.

"While I did not realize until a couple of days prior, I suspect I have…. _loved_ you since I offered you my solidarity," Gaara's smooth voice dropped into a thoughtful rumble.

Lee's gentle hold around Gaara tightened at the intimate confession, as he pressed a giddy smile into the redhead's chest.

"…Everything in my life during that time was grey," Gaara confessed, his voice pitched low and uncertain. The openness of his words felt unfamiliar in his mouth. "I do not think…that I really knew colour until…that moment in which I saw you."

A comfortable silence fell over the pair as they continued to embrace one another. However, the niggling question floating around in Lee's mind had him releasing the redhead to look him in the eyes.

"What….er," Lee ducked his head shyly, wiping away the residual tears on his face, "What does this mean for us Gaara?"

"As I said earlier, you are mine," the redhead responded smoothly, tucking Lee's hair behind his right ear. "No one else may have you."

"So, um…could I call you my…m-my boyfriend?" Lee bit his lip as he waited for Gaara's response.

"I prefer the term lover, but that is also acceptable."

Lee's face hurt from how widely he was smiling.

~~~*timeskip*~~~ ~~~*timeskip*~~~ ~~~*timeskip*~~~ ~~~*timeskip*~~~ ~~~*timeskip*~~~

Kankurō yawned noisily as he entered the large kitchen. He stretched his arms above his head, working out the kinks in his neck and back that had formed during the night. His sleep had been less than ideal, spending over half the night tossing and turning and the other half awake and guilt ridden as he replayed the distraught look on Lee's face. The brunette had finally given up on the idea of sleeping in and had dragged himself out of bed. His plan was to eat, and then wake up Gaara so he could drill him on what had happened the night before. Opening the fridge, Kankurō grabbed out a large jug of milk, resting it on the counter as he grabbed out a bowl and his favourite cereal. He dumped a generous serving of cereal into his bowl before drowning the sugary flakes in milk. Just the way he liked it. Putting the milk away, Kankurō grabbed his breakfast and turned towards the small table, only to screech and throw the bowl into the air when he came face to face with his younger brother. By some miracle, Gaara snatched the dish out of the air, not a single drop of milk spilling, and handed it back to the elder.

"GAARA, FUCKIN' CHRIST!" Kankurō yelled as he clutched at his chest.

"You are up early," was the non-sequitur sent back by the redhead.

"Yeah, I figured i'd check in on you and ask about last night, but apparently you wanted me to have a fuckin' heart attack instead!" the brunette fumed as he settled at the table. "How is Lee, by the way? I still feel like trash about the whole shitty thing."

"He is fine," Gaara's tone was flat as he pulled out the seat across from his brother.

"Wait…that's it," Kankurō questioned as there seemed to be no further response from the younger. "He's just..fine!?"

"Yes."

Kankurō pinched the bridge of his nose as a frustrated huff escaped him. His brother, the fucking poet. Gaara was great at a lot of things, mostly anything to do with being quiet and solitary, but by god you try and talk to him and it becomes a game of pulling teeth. And Kankurō was most definitely losing.

"Gaara, we've gone over this, you can't just give someone one words answers," The elder hashed out once again, his voice slow and more than a little condescending. He blamed the early morning for his attitude.

"Lee understands," Gaara countered dismissively, running a hand through his red locks.

"Yes, well Lee has a fuckin' seventh sense when it comes to you. I'm your god damn brother and I don't know what you mean half the time," the brunette grumbled as he dunked his spoon forcefully into the bowl.

Kankurō glared up at his sibling only to spit his cereal out in shock at the almost dreamy smile on his younger brother's face.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT," the brunette practically screamed, gesturing wildly in Gaara's direction as milk dripped down his chin.

The redhead's stoic mask slipped back into place almost instantaneously.

"If you do not hurry you will be late," Gaara drawled in a bored tone as he pointed lazily to the clock above the kitchen sink.

Cursing under his breathe, Kankurō vowed to get an answer out of his shit of a brother. He had just begun to wolf down the rest of his breakfast when a very panicked, very adorable, just rolled out of bed Lee skidded into the kitchen.

"I am so sorry! I overslept!" Lee huffed between breaths as he turned his head to better see the clock. His long hair fell in loose, silken strands, over his shoulders. Lee's full bangs had parted at some point during the night separating the raven locks in what would look humorous on most people, but instead it just make the teen look even more cute than normal. He had one of Gaara's large black t-shirts on, the hem reaching almost to the top of his knees, and a pair of tight fitting boxer briefs peaked out from beneath.

"Good morning to you too," Kankurō chuckled lightly at the younger's bewildered expression. "And nah, you didn't sleep in much really, school doesn't actually start for half hour. Worst case scenario I just drive us all there."

"Oh, Kankurō thank you, but I do not want to burden you," Lee waved off the offer, tucking his hair behind his ears and running his fingers lightly through his bangs.

"C'mon Lee it's fine, don't you even worry about it. It's the least I can fuckin' do after last night."

Instead of the protest Kankurō was expecting, the room became silent. Looking up from his now empty bowl, the brunette turned quizzical eyes on Lee. The tall teen's face was a light pink as he pulled absently on the hem of his black shirt. He was biting his bottom lip in an attempt to stop a smile from breaking out on his face. Kankurō was fucking confused. He was just about to turn on his brother and ask him what the fuck had happened last night when said redhead pushed back from his seat and made his way over to the other teen.

What happened next was not something a sleep deprived Kankurō was prepared for. The brunette heard the rough 'good morning' Gaara rasped in what was, Kankurō shuddered to admit, an intimate tone. Normal enough, give or take the smitten look his brother was practically beaming onto Lee. Until all hell broke loose. The redhead wrapped his arms around Lee, who in turn rested his hands on Gaara's shoulders, and pulled the raven haired male into a brief kiss. Two things happened at once; Kankurō honest to god fell out of his chair, knocking his empty bowl off the table, smashing it to pieces, and Lee, frightened by the loud crash, pulled out of the kiss to stare in horror down at Gaara's older brother.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!' was all Kankurō's brain, and subsequently mouth, seemed capable of producing.

Lee turned a brilliant shade of cherry red, his coffee coloured skin lost completely under the blush, before he buried his face into Gaara's chest.

"YOU! YOU? YOU!" Kankurō pointed accusingly at his brother while he scrambled off the cold hardwood floor. "HOW? FUCKIN' WHEN!?"

"Be quiet," Gaara's face was devoid of emotion as he stared, unwaveringly, at the eldest male, "your voice is grating at that volume."

"Oh, well, EXCUSE ME, I'll just calm down. It's not like my youngest brother just walked up and KISSED his BEST FRIEND full on the MOUTH! OH WAIT!" Kankurō's arms were flapping around in jerky motions as he stared accusingly at the pair of teens. "So what!? You're just dating now! Just like that!?"

"Yes." Gaara deadpanned as he led Lee out of the room. Lee looked over his shoulder apologetically as he followed his boyfriend.

"GAARA YOU BASTARD, YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT!" The brunette yelled after the retreating figure of his brother.

The silence of the room after Kankurō's explosion said otherwise. The eldest teen kicked the fallen chair in a fit of frustration before picking it up and sliding it under the table.

"Fuck, fuck, fuckin' fuckity fuck," Kankurō muttered under his breath as he knelt down and began to gather the shards of his broken dish. Even through his angry he couldn't stop the sincere smile that formed on his face. "Looks like Gaara finally got his head out of his fucking ass."

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Aaaaand there you go. Chapter officially updated! Yes, yes, I know the end of this chapter feels a bit rushed, but I just had to add in Kankurō's reaction!

Sorry again for the long ass drop off, but school got real busy and then my laptop broke and that was all fun to deal with. But for now i'm on my winter break and hopefully I can update at least once more before school starts again.

Thank you everyone for the continued support of this fic! I love to read all of your comments and I just want to say thank you so much to all of you that continue to leave me little responses!


	23. Tenten's Love Disaster Part 1

I'm back everyone! Holy shit it's been a long time. I'm sorry for my absence, but the important thing is that I come bearing updates!

As always, nothing here belongs to me except for his dumb story. Enjoy!

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Tenten jogged across the crisp autumn grass as she hurried to the back of the school. She had been running a bit late that morning because her alarm hadn't gone off despite being set the night before. Tenten hated sleeping in. She had always been a morning person, even at the orphanage as a young girl. More often then not she'd wake up before everyone else and sneak over to Lee's room and wake him up so they could talk before the day began. After she had been adopted she still loved early mornings. The only difference was now she would spend that time going over her homework and making breakfast for her parents if she had any time left. Tenten liked her routine, it made her feel refreshed and un-rushed before the long day ahead. But today she had slept in, and that relaxing time she savoured had been taken away. Tenten continued to sprint across the field. Her pretty purple sneakers, not quite dress code but she hadn't been caught yet, skidded slightly on the frosty dew as she rounded the corner of the school. Her school skirt swished annoyingly as she ran towards the small group huddled amongst themselves in the outskirts of the back field. Tenten had suggested at the beginning of the year that they meet an hour before classes started so they could have time to chat before they were separated for most of the day. She had wanted to give Lee the best high school experience possible since he had missed out on so many fun things being stuck at the orphanage. So she thought that if they could maximize their social time, even if it meant sacrificing a couple hours of sleep, then it'd somehow make up for the three years Lee hadn't been there. Everyone had agreed, and so they had claimed the back of the school as their official morning meeting place. Tenten stopped just outside of her group of friends, fixing the hem of her skirt impatiently.

"Sorry I'm late guys, my dumb alarm didn't go off," she huffed as she reached down to straighten her socks. Tenten hated their school's dress code. Nothing ever stayed where it was supposed to.

Usually Tenten's comment would spark a whole session of stories about alarm incidents and funny morning mishaps. Each friend would pitch in with a more outrageous story, generally ending with Sasuke revealing an embarrassing tidbit regarding Naruto that would result in the two fighting. Instead Neji's concerned voice rang out in response.

"Have you seen Lee?"

Tenten looked up from her hunched position, taking in the surprisingly worried faces of her friends. Everyone was standing together, minus the aforementioned teen and a certain redhead. The latter wasn't an uncommon morning absentee. Gaara, being an insomniac, really didn't abide by much of a schedule when it came to the mornings and evenings. So it wasn't unusual for the pale teen to not show up to these gatherings. Generally, his absence meant that he had managed to finally fall and stay asleep and his siblings hadn't bothered to interrupt the scant few hours he was getting. Gaara tended to show up eventually, whether it be at lunch or to one of the few classes he shared with Tenten. In the rare cases he slept through the whole day, the redhead still managed to text the group to let them know what had happened. Lee, however, was always early. Or, he had been until he had started working.

"You guys saw the text he sent last night, his work meeting ran late so he probably just slept in," Tenten waved off the other's worries. Tenten knew Lee. They had practically lived in each other's pockets at one point, and while they weren't as close as they used to be, something Tenten was realizing more and more, they were still best friends. Or at least she still considered him hers. Lately Lee had been _distant._ It had started when he moved out of Kage's. At first he spent most of his time just getting settled into his place, something Tenten understood but knew would pass soon enough. However, after he settled in Lee had immediately turned to job hunting, a time consuming task on its own, but the real nail in the coffin was when he finally did get hired. Tenten had tried to bring it up with Naruto, but the blonde hadn't seemed to think anything had changed. He had insisted that Lee was just experiencing a regular teen life and so now that his whole world wasn't just the Orphanage and Outside, his schedule was a bit more full then any of them were used to. Tenten had reluctantly agreed to her friend's assessment, but a part of her still felt like she was losing her best friend. Lee and her used to stay up and talk all night when they were at Kage's, and even after she had been adopted they had managed to stay in near constant communication. Tenten always knew exactly what was on Lee's mind and even what wasn't; but now, not so much. Regardless, she knew if something truly bad had happened to Lee, he would have found a way to inform her. "Lee's smart, if a bit too kind for his own good, so i'm sure it's nothing serious guys. Don't worry, he'll be running around that corner any moment, apologizing as loud as he can!"

Hinata and Naruto seemed appeased at Tenten's insistence that Lee had just been exhausted after a long night, and laughed along at the image she had painted of the tanned teen. Neji and Sasuke, on the other hand, still seemed on edge. Before Tenten could try and reassure the two males once more, a series of trills sounded. Tenten pulled out her phone, the others scrambling for their own, and read the message lighting up the screen. Sure enough it was a text from Lee apologizing for his tardiness.

"What did I say, he's just late see!" Tenten waved her phone scoldingly in Neji and Sasuke's direction. "No need to make a big deal out of nothing, we've done that once already and we definitely don't need a repeat," the brunette shuddered as she recalled the one sided screaming match she had forced upon her friend.

While Naruto laughed loudly and began to poke fun at Sasuke for how fast he pulled his cellphone out, Tenten couldn't help but focus on Neji's reaction. The male brunette seemed to be scanning the message over and over again, reading each word carefully under his breath. After what Tenten counted as the third read through, he finally closed his phone and let out a quiet sigh of relief before pocketing the device. Tenten quickly turned her head away as Neji looked up, avoiding his gaze at all costs.

If Tenten was being honest with herself, something she tried to be at all times regardless of how much it hurt to admit certain things, the immense relief in Neji's eyes stung. Tenten wasn't a jealous person, or rather, she hadn't been until she had developed a crush on the male Hyūga. The tomboy in her had been appalled that she had actually fallen for someone, let alone a walking teen drama cliché. Neji checked every box Tenten had professed to abhor; he was tall, conventionally handsome, smart, and of course completely not interested. At least not interested in her, she soon realized. But boy did she want him now, after everything that had gone down in regards to her crush, she still held a secret hope that Neji would end up returning her feelings.

She wouldn't do anything about her crush though. Not after what had happened. Not only that, but it would be admitting that she wanted something she had deemed too distasteful for someone like herself. So Tenten tried not to talked about it. When she had first developed the stupid crush she hadn't told anyone, not even Lee. She believed that she could have handled the crush, as unappealing as it was, so long as she stuck to her guns and stayed true to herself. That, it turned out, was easier said then done. To her horror, there had been a point in her life where she found herself becoming everything she had vowed to never be. She had started making herself more girly, and while it wasn't an extreme change, it was enough to make her uncomfortable. She had worn dresses, tight enough that they accentuated the merger curves she had, but feminine enough that they flowed in airy frills just above her knees. Tenten had even styled her hair down, forgoing her signature buns to let her long brunette locks flow free. She had hated it. But she had overheard one of her classmates explaining that Neji preferred feminine girls (and how she knew that, Tenten didn't know at the time, but for some reason she believed it).

Worse even was back then she had been obsessed with being the centre of Neji's attention. It had been subtle, a fact for which the Tenten of the present was thankful for, but in her first year of high school she'd purposefully wait until the other brunette was alone before corning him so she could attempt to strike up an awkward conversation. In reality, she would try anything to get him to interact with her, even just a little. It seldom worked, to her immense disappointment at the time, but he never told her outright to leave (which Neji had been known to say to some of the more persistent girls) so it wasn't an outright rejection, and that was enough to keep her foolish hope burning.

When Tenten had met Neji he hadn't much cared either way about her. Sort of like a take it or leave it kind of deal. They had met through Hinata, whom Tenten had started to talk to in their final year of middle school. There had been an instant attraction on Tenten's part, much to her dismay, but something had just drawn her to the other brunette. And after a year of chasing Neji around, Tenten knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the only reason he put up with her was because of her friendship with Hinata. She wouldn't delude herself into thinking otherwise, even back then at the height of her crush addled brain. The Hyūga cousins were close and Neji was especially protective of Hinata. So anyone Hinata liked kind of got a free pass with the elder. Tenten had convinced herself that she could deal with that, as heart breaking as that was. She had felt certain that she could deal with the awkward conversation, the stilted interactions, the silence. So long as she could be around Neji. Tenten shuddered to remember that point in her life.

What she couldn't deal with, especially back then, was the burning hot jealousy that sat heavy in the pit of her stomach. Any girl Neji talked to, even in passing, wasn't spared Tenten's ire in the early days of her crush. She would catch herself, on more than one shameful occasion, staring down these unfortunate girls with the full weight of her anger. Tenten knew she had a problem when she began to glare at Hinata whenever Neji would speak to her. It was shameful, even then, and Tenten regretted every instance that her jealousy overtook her after they had unfolded. But that shame hadn't been enough to stop her. And as awful as that was, as much as those moments made her loathe herself just a little bit more, Tenten believed she could deal with it. Or rather, she had told herself she _would_ because her growing infatuation wouldn't let up no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise. Eventually, after months of hounding Neji, he had just seemed to accept that Tenten wouldn't be leaving anytime soon and so he might as well tolerate her if she was sticking around. Tenten had been over the moon. Finally the male Hyūga would talk to her, albeit it wasn't as regular as she had hoped, but it was something. She hadn't minded the reluctant acceptance she had received. She had just assumed that was how the brunette was. She could live with the constant cold shoulder and the stunted conversations. At least Neji was finally acknowledging her in some small way. Or, she had been fine with it, until Lee had been brought into the picture. Tenten could never forget that moment, no matter how much she wished she could.

~~~*flashback*~~~ ~~~*flashback*~~~

Tenten couldn't contain her excitement as the weekend drew nearer. Lee was going to be spending the whole long weekend at her place. They had already spent the last handful of days planing what they were going to do when he arrived. They decided that best course of action would be to invite Naruto along so they could eat as much junk food as possible and have an extended movie marathon. Lee told Tenten over and over again how excited he was to hear more about their high school shenanigans, since he hadn't been able to leave the orphanage to attend school himself. It was going to be perfect. Tenten couldn't stop telling all her friends about her upcoming plans. She talked Neji and Hinata's ear off about every minute detail, the former ignoring the repetitive rambling while the latter avidly nodded along. Tenten would have been more embarrassed if Naruto wasn't as enthusiastic as she was. The hyperactive blonde would start every school morning shouting the number of days left before Lee's arrival as he barrelled into the petite brunette holding her in a playful headlock with a stupid grin spread out on his face.

The day before Lee's arrival Tenten was regaling another one of her plethora of Lee stories to Hinata in their math class, passing the scant few minutes left of their class with light chatter. Their teacher was handing back their latest test, clearly eager to end the class as fast as possible. Hinata was laughing at one of the funnier details of the story when her face dropped as her test was given to her. Tenten watched as the teacher made an irritated cluck under his breath and walked off before she refocused on her silent friend. Tenten knew Hinata wasn't the best at math, but she had always managed to pull through her assignments and tests. Hinata was smart, there was no doubting that. Not only was she nearly top of the class in all her subjects, but she was a diligent student and she studied more than anyone Tenten knew.

"That bad?" Tenten questioned as Hinata continued to stare at her paper.

Hinata swallowed audibly as she flipped the paper around so it faced the other girl. The paper was littered with red marks, each wrong answer underlined more furiously then the last. A glaring 46 was circled at the top with the note "I am not impressed" scribbled beside it.

"Ouch," Tenten winced as she looked over the paper once more. She hastily folded over her own test so the lavender haired girl wouldn't be able to see the 98 she had received and feel worse about her failure.

"I-I don't k-know what I'm g-going to do," Hinata's voice faltered as she bit her wobbling lip. Tears began to form in her pale eyes and her cheeks heated up in shame. "M-my father w-will not be p-pleased."

Tenten had only interacted with Hinata's father a handful of times, and from what she knew of him he wasn't exactly a kind man.

"Don't worry Hina, if you want we can go over the test together?" Tenten eagerly suggested, trying to make her friend feel better. "I can try and help you with the things you don't know. How about tommorrow? Yeah, we can have a fun study session! You said your parents were going out of town, so it'll be perfect! We can get some snacks and just relax and go over everything at our own pace, how does that sound?" The brunette asked.

Hinata seemed to brighten up at the suggestion, going as far as to nod enthusiastically, before her face dropped once more.

"B-but I thought L-lee was coming? I don't w-want to… to interfere w-with anything."

Tenten paused at that. Lee _was_ coming, and there was no way she was cancelling those plans, but she really wanted to help Hinata out. The other girl had been her first and best female friend and had been there for her through so many of her own problems, but Lee was her _best_ friend. She chewed her lip as she tried to think of how they could work around her already full schedule.

"O-oh!" Hinata suddenly exclaimed snapping Tenten out of her thoughts. "T-that is, L-lee could c-come with you."

"For reals!?" Tenten was shocked at the other's suggestions. The Hyūga's were a rather private group of people, and it took a lot to gain their trust. It had taken Tenten almost a year of knowing Hinata to even be invited over to her house, so the fact that she was suggesting Lee join them caught Tenten off guard.

"I-I mean…you a-and Naruto talk about h-him all the t-time…. it… it k-kind of feels l-like I know him," Hinata shyly whispered as she poked her pointer fingers together.

And that was true. Naruto and Tenten talked about Lee almost non-stop. The raven haired boy was with them at all times in spirit, and they made sure all their friends knew just how important he was to them.

"That's a great idea! I can't wait, if you like Lee in theory you'll love him in person! I'm so excited!" Tenten gushed as she pulled the other female into a quick hug. Tomorrow was looking to be even better than the brunette had assumed.

(To be continued...)

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A new update is coming soon, so do not fret! I'm trying to make up for lost time (like four months holy shit) and so i'm going to try my best to churn out more of this fic as fast as possible.

By the way, if anyone even remotely cares, I have officially graduated university. Thank fuck that's over. But I can officially say I am now the owner of a HBFA degree!

Thanks again for all of you that have stuck around at this point and continue to comment on this story. I LOVE reading all your comments and knwing what you guys think.

Until next time!


	24. Tenten's Love Disaster Part 2

Hey, so when I said i'd update soon I wasn't lying. I thought yawl deserved a nice double update since I had been so stingy with updating.

As always the only thing I own are my dumb words. Enjoy!

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The next day Lee arrived just after twelve. Tenten ran down her stairs when she heard Lee's signature polite knock and pulled open the door just to be swept into a crushing hug by her lithe friend. The pair separated and Tenten quickly led Lee up to her room, the latter shouting a quick hello to her parents in passing.

"I am so very excited for this weekend. We shall have a most wonderful time, I just know it!" Lee cheered as he clenched his fists together.

Tenten closed the door behind them and flopped down on her bed.

"So there's been a slight change of plans," Tenten said as she hugged one of her numerous pillows to her chest.

Lee, who had been sitting at Tenten's vanity looking at her small collection of nail polishes, shot an inquisitive look her way.

"Is Naruto not feeling well? I had wondered why he was not here, but if he is sick then—"

"No, no," Tenten waved off Lee's concern, "It's nothing like that, there's no way he'd miss today, sick or not. You know how Naruto is. But we'll have to delay our initial plans until later tonight. Hinata needs some help with math, so she agreed to let us come to her place so I can giver her a hand," she grinned as she sat up on her bed.

The excitement that lit up Lee's whole face was blinding. He bounded from the vanity and tackled Tenten on her bed. Tenten let out a loud oomph as Lee's full weight hit her. The pair laughed as they continued to bounce on the soft mattress.

"That is a wonderful change of plans! I can not wait to meet Hinata! You have told me so much about her, I feel as if I already know her!"

Another burst of laughter fell from Tenten's mouth at the irony of Lee's comment.

"Trust me Lee, you're not the only one."

Tenten insisted on Lee borrowing some of her clothes before they left. Lee had looked down at his faded green t-shirt and bashfully agreed. Tenten knew Lee didn't put much stock into his own looks, but she also knew that Lee needed to make a good first impression. She couldn't take away Lee's anxiety in that regard, but the least she could do was give him a larger selection of clothes than what was available to him. Tenten had Lee try on a handful of her clothes, throwing in a couple of her more girly tops because she knew Lee loved cute things. Eventually Lee settled on a tight black sleeveless turtleneck paired with an oversized pink cardigan Tenten didn't even remember purchasing. The young teen had pulled his shoulder length hair back into a neat braid, his full bangs framing his soft features nicely. All in all, Lee looked adorable (and if Tenten cried internally about scrawny flat chested Lee fitting her top perfectly, well that was neither here nor there). Tenten had opted for a more casual look, forgoing the glitz and glamour she had been subjecting herself to for the past handful of months. She had gone back to her regular attire, choosing to wear a pair of comfy jeans and a cute purple zip-up that had a faint flowery patterned printed on the fabric. She had even pulled her hair back in the buns she loved so much. In short, Tenten felt great. She was with her best friend and she was finally acting like herself after months of being some other overly feminine girl. She knew the change would be temporary, and as soon as Monday rolled around she'd be curling her hair and and doing her makeup, but for now her shoulders felt lighter then they had in a long while.

Tenten fired off a quick text to Hinata before the pair began their trek over to the female Hyūga's. Lee chatted non-stop the whole way over, flipping back and forth between overly excited and anxious. Tenten reassured Lee that Hinata already knew about him thanks to Naruto and herself, and from what the pale girl had heard she insisted that she liked Lee already. That seemed to help because after that tall male began to drill Tenten on what Hinata liked and how best to interact with her. When they finally arrived Tenten went to knock on the door, but quickly remembered that Hinata's parents were out of town. Generally the only reason Tenten knocked was because Hinata's parents were unbelievably formal and required the highest degree of etiquette at all times. It was stifling to deal with them for the brief moments it took to enter their home and find Hinata; Tenten couldn't even imagine what it would be like to live with them. Naruto, although having been adopted into a rich family similar to the Hyūga's, had lucked out with his absentee parents. At least they weren't around all the time to incite terror and doubt. Tenten shook off the shiver that ran up her spine at the reminder of Hinata's parents and pulled open the door. She jumped into the house eagerly, her giddiness at Lee's excitement and her own spurring on her childish action. What she hadn't anticipated was that Neji would be there.

Tenten hit Neji with the full weight of her body as she all but tackled him down to the ground. The pair landed awkwardly on the floor, Neji face down with his hands pinned beneath him as he caught himself before completely smashing face first into the spotless tiles. Tenten found herself sprawled over the complete length of his back, caging him in. Lee, who had been hovering just behind her, froze as he watched the two bodies hit the floor, his mouth agape. Tenten was mortified. She squeezed her eyes shut as her face grew uncomfortably warm from the shameful blush that was blooming there. What was Neji doing there? Tenten had been sure Hinata had said it would just be the three of them. But then again, they were cousins so it really wasn't that surprising that Neji would just pop over whenever he felt like it.

"As far as I am aware, I am not in fact furniture," Neji said bitingly, his body stiff with false calm.

Tenten's eyes flew open at the unspoken get off the male's tone had implied and pushed herself back with more force than necessary. The petite brunette ended up launching herself flat on her ass as she scrambled away from the other male.

"O-oh god, Neji I am so sorry, I-I should have knocked, but I just, Hinata's parents were gone so I…" Tenten rambled, her voice shaking in embarrassment. She picked herself off the floor as fast as she could and stood awkwardly just inside the entrance unsure of what to do.

Neji began to pull himself off the ground, his movements fluid and graceful despite his clear irritation. He dusted off his impeccable black jeans and straightened the grey heather long sleeve shirt he wore. Tenten fidgeted as Neji put himself to rights, itching to go over to him and apologize until the irritation melted off his face. Instead she turned to check on Lee, but something about her face must have been truly comical because he couldn't contain the bright bubble of laughter that spilled from his mouth. Normally Tenten would join in on Lee's laughter, especially considering the absurdity of the situation, but in that moment she was completely stricken. Noticing Tenten's pinched face, Lee immediately covered his mouth and shot the brunette an apologetic look.

Tenten turned to face Neji once more and watched as he whipped around at the foreign sound of Lee's laughter. She saw the moment Neji's pale eyes landed on Lee. Tenten expected the other brunette to brush Lee off, to turn around and walk away like he seemed to do with everyone he encountered. Instead, Tenten stood frozen as Neji unmistakably gave Lee a solid once over. His face, which had been pulled in irritation, smoothed out as his eyes tracked Lee from head to toe and back up to lock with Lee's eyes. Neji ran a hand through his long hair, starting at his temple, collecting the long strands and pushing them back from his face in a smooth movement. He seemed to straighten up, pulling his broad shoulders back as he stood at his full height. Tenten couldn't believe her eyes. Her breath stutter in her chest.

"Hello," Neji's deep voice pierced the silence that had gathered in the small space. If it were anyone else, Tenten would have said his tone was almost husky, almost interested. But it was Neji. He didn't do interested. Right?

Lee sprung into action at the clear invitation and stepped forward to better see the other male. Tenten felt Lee's shoulder bush her own but she couldn't stop staring at Neji. She was transfixed. Everything sounded distant to her, like she was hearing through a bubble.

"Hello! I am sorry to have laughed earlier, it was very rude of me. You must be Neji, Tenten has told me so much about you! I am Rock Lee and I hope we can be the best of friends!" Lee beamed, his round cheeks pushing up cutely as he tilted his head in greeting.

Tenten knew what Lee must look like. Tall, thin, cute. A pretty boy with large eyes and pouty lips. Creamy skin and a smattering of freckles. His mannerisms were even cute. As much as Lee thought he was nothing to look at, Tenten knew better. Lee was attractive, and Tenten wasn't the only person who could see that. Naruto would go on and on about how 'damn frickin' cute' Lee was all the time, and how if he 'wasn't as straight as they came he'd be all over that'. It became a running joke between the two of them that Lee could make anyone look twice. But Neji was straight, wasn't he? More importantly, he didn't date. He had made that very clear to any and all potential suitors.

Tenten watched in horror as the other male bit his lip lightly at Lee's actions. Neji nodded politely at Lee's greeting, his eyes sweeping over Lee once more, before turning to hide the growing blush on his face. Tenten couldn't breathe. She felt as though she had been submerged in cold water. This couldn't be happening. She had to be overthinking this, seeing things that weren't there. It couldn't be true.

"Hinata is expecting you, follow me," was all Neji said before walking off into the large house.

Tenten flinched as Lee grabbed her hand. She turned to look at Lee, finally daring to take her eyes off Neji's retreating figure. Lee's face was concerned as his eyes scanned her. She didn't know how she looked, or what kind of expression she wore, but it was enough to have Lee worried.

"I am truly sorry for laughing Tenten, I should not have done that. I do not know what possessed me to do so, but that is no excuse," Lee brought his other hand up to grasp hers more firmly between them both, "Can you forgive me for my actions?"

Tenten looked down at their joined hands and took a moment to collect her chaotic thoughts. It wasn't Lee's fault she was being oversensitive, he didn't deserve the hot jealousy that churned unpleasantly in her gut. She cleared her throat and locked eyes with her friend.

"Lee it's no big deal," at his uncertain frown Tenten hastened her explanation, " No really, I'm not even upset about that, honest. I just feel really bad about slamming into Neji, is all. I should have been more careful." She forced a dry chuckle from her throat as she continued, "it was pretty funny thought, wasn't it? I don't blame you for laughing, if it was the other way around I would have laughed too."

Tenten plastered her signature smile on her face and squeezed Lee's hands with her own. As the jealousy faded down to a simmer, she began to feel ridiculous for how she reacted. It wouldn't be the first time that Tenten had convinced herself that Neji was showing interest when in actuality he wasn't. She pulled Lee along by their joined hands as she led him into the house. She tried her hardest to shake off all the negative feelings that had emerged from the earlier events so that the rest of the afternoon wouldn't be such a disaster. Tenten and Lee quickly caught up to Neji who silently maneuvered them through the labyrinth that was the Hyūga house. They found Hinata sitting in the study, arranging a small plate of cookies next to her school work. The study was a small room near the back of the large complex, far removed from any potential distractions. Hinata had told Tenten that her parents insisted she use the room when she was doing anything school related. Tenten wasn't surprised by that but she still felt bad that Hinata couldn't just go to her room and work on her stuff in peace. Hinata lifted her head when the three teens entered, and a shy smile formed on her face when she spotted Lee.

"H-hello, u-um welcome!" The female Hyūga quietly chirped as she stood and smoothed out the long white dress she wore under a cute cream cardigan.

"Thank you for having me! I am so glad to finally meet you Hinata, Tenten tells me you are a wonderful friend and I only hope we too can be good friends!" Lee tilted his head as he tried to make eye contact with Hinata's downturned face, and smiled when she looked up to meet his eyes.

"Y-yes! I would l-like that too," Hinata replied, her own face lighting up with a matching smile.

Tenten let out a silent sigh of relief, and looked over to Neji to send him a smile of her own, but her face fell once more as she caught sight of him. The elder male was looking fondly at the newly aquatinted pair as they made light small talk. His eyes were soft and his mouth was quirked up gently at the corners. Tenten clenched her jaw and looked away.

The small group sat around the low table in the study; Tenten and Lee on one side and Hinata and Neji on the other. Tenten had been shocked when Neji had actually sat down at the table. Generally the male Hyūga would wander the complex when the three of them were all together, not bothering to socialize unless he was forced to. Hinata seemed to be taken aback as well, and startled when Neji plopped down beside her, but she quickly brushed it off and started to shyly engage with Lee. Tenten jumped into their conversation immediately, eager to push aside her lingering preoccupation with Neji. And for awhile everything felt normal. Neji seldom contributed to the conversation, and spent more time staring out the large window in the back of the small room. And if Tenten caught him stealing glances in Lee's direction, well she told herself it was a normal reaction. Lee was new and yet familiar. Both Hinata and Neji knew so much about the other teen without having ever met him, it must have been novel to finally put a face to the name Naruto and Tenten constantly threw around. That had to be it.

Without them realizing, an hour slipped by as they chatted about everything and nothing. Lee was particularly interested in learning about the ins and outs of high school, which Hinata and Tenten were more than willing to educate him on. Tenten glanced at her cellphone quickly while Hinata and Lee bonded over some obscure topic and gasped when she saw the time.

"I hate to break up this awesome conversation, but we really need to get to work if we want to keep to our schedule," Tenten interjected before a new topic could begin.

"Ah, I am so sorry. I got carried away, I was just having such a fun time conversing. I should have been more diligent with keeping track of the time," Lee apologized and ducked his head bashfully.

Tenten went to reassure Lee but Neji beat her to it.

"If it was really a hassle the conversation would have stopped long ago."

Lee seemed to mull Neji's statement over for a moment before the words really sunk in. "…I suppose you are right, thank you Neji, I feel much better knowing I was not burdening you with my small talk!"

Tenten caught a glimpse of the brilliant flush forming on Neji's cheeks before he stood and headed to the only door in the room intent on leaving. She watched as he turned the handle and cracked the door before falling still. Neji seemed to hesitate, his hand tightening on the door knob he held in his hand.

"Lee, would you care to join me in the gardens?" Neji asked as he continued to face the door. His voice was low and almost cautionary.

Both Hinata and Tenten stared at the male Hyūga's back in disbelief. Neji never willingly engaged in social interactions. Never. And here he was, inviting Lee of all people, social butterfly Lee, no personal space Lee, to join him for a prolonged period of time. Lee didn't seem to be effected by the tension and confusion growing in the small space, and easily responded to the inquiry.

"I would like that very much!" Lee happily agreed as he got up from the table. He turned to Hinata and gave her a cute thumbs up. "Good luck Hinata! I am confident that with Tenten's guidance you will be able to tackle those numbers in no time!"

Neji's shoulder relaxed at Lee's positive response and he turned to usher Lee through the door before him. His pale hand hovered over Lee's lower back as they left the room, his face turned to Lee as the other talked avidly. Tenten broke out into a cold sweat when the door closed behind them. She felt sick.

"N-Neji has re-really taken a-a liking to Lee," Hinata noted unaware of how her words were affecting Tenten. "He h-has a hard t-time getting along with p-people, so I-it's nice to s-see him connecting with o-others."

Tenten nodded absentmindedly as her thoughts raced to dangerous places. She pulled out her own test and notes, not paying attention to her actions at all. Neji liked Lee.

"L-lee is very nice, I-I really like h-him too. I-I'm glad we c-could finally m-meet."

Tenten barely heard what Hinata was saying, but she managed to nod along at all the right times. All she could focus on was that Neji liked Lee. The jealousy she had pushed aside earlier reared it's ugly head once more. The nauseating anger hit her full force as unwanted thoughts festered in her mind. Tenten forced herself to break out of her sour mood and focus on guiding Hinata through the math test. Hinata needed her help, not her irrational jealousy. The brunette cleared her mind and focused on the familiar equations. She talked Hinata through every step, taking the time to explain anything the other female didn't quite grasp. Soon enough Hinata was flying through the questions she had gotten wrong. The only sound in the room was the lavender haired girl's rapid scribbling. Tenten turned to look out at the gardens.

The Hyūga estate, as cold as it was, had the most beautiful garden Tenten had ever seen. All sorts of flowers grew there in elaborate arrangements. There were roses, lilacs, lillies, carnations, and anything else one could imagine. Tenten's eyes swept the beautiful display before her gaze fell upon the two absent males. She hadn't noticed them at first, but once she spotted them she couldn't look away. Lee was lying on his stomach on the lush grass. He must have taken off Tenten's cardigan at some point because he was just wearing the sleeveless turtleneck. He seemed to be giggling at something, his body shaking faintly with the force of his laughter. Neji was also laughing lightly. The brunette male was sitting against one of the large trees in the garden, his face open and turned to the other teen. Suddenly Lee stretched out on the grass, his arms reaching out in front of him and his legs tucked beneath him. He arched his back like a cat, the curve of his spin noticeable beneath the tight turtleneck he wore. Neji's whole face went crimson and his mouth gaped slightly as he all but ogled the other male. Tenten felt her chest constrict as she watched Neji forcibly remove his eyes from Lee's body and bite his lip. Lee, of course, didn't notice a thing and resumed their conversation once he settled back onto the grass. Tenten wanted to cry. She felt tears prickling at her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She furiously rubbed at them before Hinata could notice. In that moment she truly envied Lee. She envied him more than any of the other girls she had seen interact with Neji. How had he done it? How had Lee been able to do absolutely nothing other than be himself and get Neji's attention. Why couldn't it have been her?

The rest of the study session passed in a blur. Hinata thanked Tenten profusely when she finished, insisting that she pay her back somehow. Tenten went through the motions of waving her off and assuring her that it was no problem, but her heart wasn't in it. She couldn't stop thinking about everything she had witnessed. The two of them eventually joined Lee and Neji in the garden after they cleaned up the study. They found them sitting close together, foreheads almost touching as they spoke. Tenten clenched her hands into fists at the sight. It was too intimate. Her brain kept screaming wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! It should have been her. Her sitting close to Neji, her being the cause of the gentle smile on his face, her inciting such emotional responses in him. But it wasn't. She relaxed her clenched fists when she felt her nails break the skin, the pain bringing her marginally back to her senses. Tenten and Lee left shortly after that. Or perhaps it was longer, she couldn't remember. She must have said something about Naruto arriving and them being there before he broke into her house, but she wasn't sure. At the entrance Lee pulled Hinata into a friendly hug, promising that he would talk to her soon, a sentiment she returned easily. Tenten closed her eyes briefly and prayed that Lee would leave it at that. That he would wave to Neji and go. But Lee was a friendly person. Overly friendly. Tenten cursed under her breath as Lee walked up to Neji and wrapped his arms around the slightly taller male's neck. Tenten wished that Neji would push Lee away, grab his arms and unwind them from their hold, snarkily tell him off like all the other girls who tried exactly what Lee was doing. Instead Neji brought his arms up and held Lee securely around his lithe waist. The tanned teen said something quietly to Neji, who nodded and squeezed Lee tighter, before the pair separated. Tenten couldn't take it anymore. She left the house, uncaring if Lee was behind her. She needed to get out of there.

Lee caught up quickly, jogging lightly to keep up with Tenten's infuriated pace. She couldn't look him in the eye. He tried several times to talk to her, but Tenten couldn't bring herself to open her mouth. She knew if she talked now her jealousy would fuel her words. She could taste the vile remarks sitting on the tip of her tongue. She hated it. Tenten kept her head down, looking at her purple sneakers as they hurried back to her house. Eventually Lee fell back, walking behind her at a slight distance. She couldn't bring herself to feel sorry. Tenten flinched when she heard the unmistakable voice of Naruto. He was shouting out an obnoxious greeting that grated on Tenten's already fried nerves. She hunched in on herself, her shoulders coming up to stiffly frame her downturned face. Naruto didn't have the same instincts as Lee did, his default was never to keep quiet, especially when someone looked upset. So of course he shouted in response to Tenten's lack of enthusiasm.

"What crawled up your ass and died? You look miserable!"

She was miserable. She was absolutely devastated. The tears she had fought down earlier began to stream out of her eyes in uncontrollable rivulets. She crumpled to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably into her hands.

"Holy shit! I DIDN'T MEAN TO MAKE YOU CRY!" Naruto screeched.

Tenten felt Lee wrap his arms around her and pull her up. She put all her weight onto him as he guided her into her house. Luckily her parents had gone out, so she didn't have to explain to them through tears why she was having such a messy breakdown. Thank god for small miracles. Tenten could hear Naruto panicking in the background as Lee brought her upstairs and sat her down on her bed. Any other day she'd find the blonde's frantic apologies hilarious, but she was too overwhelmed by her own devastation. Lee managed to hush Naruto, whispering something to him and urging him to take a seat on the floor. She could hear them shuffling around in the background, arranging themselves on the ground. Tenten began taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself down so she could stop her tears. This was supposed to be their weekend. And Tenten had ruined it. Her selfish desires and rampant jealousy had tainted everything. After what felt like hours, Tenten wiped her brown eyes, rubbing the tears from her face with the sleeve of her sweater. She sniffed twice, and swiped at her nose impatiently to prevent a third.

"Soooo…what was that all about?" Naruto broke the silence with his borderline insensitive question.

Tenten stared at her lap. She looked up when Naruto released a loud oomph. Lee had apparently elbowed him none too gently in the side and the blonde was gripping at the spot in pain.

"OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" The blonde all but shouted.

"Naruto, Tenten is clearly upset. Perhaps you could try and talk to her with more empathy?" Lee scolded lightly.

And that was that. Tenten began to chuckle which quickly became a full blown laugh attack. Naruto and Lee both stopped their squabbling to look at her as if she had lost it. That just made her laugh harder. The interaction was just so familiar to her. So comfortingly them that it made her feel that maybe she hadn't ruined anything. Or at least no permanent damage had been done. She collapsed back on her bed with the force of her laughter. Her laughter quickly died down into brief giggles before stopping all together. She stared at her ceiling, looking at the glow in the dark stars the three of them had plastered up there one day. It had been a fun day. Tenten's mom had bought her a pack of them and they had decided to jump on her bed and try to stick them all up. Soon enough they were challenging each other to see who could jump the furthest off her bed and stick a star on the ceiling without falling. Lee had won, thanks in no small part to his long legs, and Naruto had fallen more than once, but they had all been laughing by the time the bag was empty. These were her best friends. And she had been horrible to them.

"I have a crush on Neji," Tenten stated in a completely flat voice.

"WHHHAAAAATTTTTT!?" Naruto yelled as he launched himself onto her bed.

She bounced in place from the impact and closed her eyes as Naruto started to hit her with one of her many pillows.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING!?" he demanded as he continued to pummel her.

Tenten peaked one of her eyes open when there was no further strikes from Naruto. Lee, who was kneeling behind the blonde, had snatched the pillow out of his hands and was holding it firmly to his chest.

"I probably deserve that," Tenten huffed as she returned to staring at her ceiling, "I haven't been a very good friend today."

"Tenten…. It—"

"No….no Lee please, it's my fault," she interrupted before Lee could shoulder the blame for her actions. "I…I just, I really like him and….it's been messing me up."

"You mean, all the girly shit right?" Naruto wagered as he pushed his back against the wall, making himself more comfortable.

"Girly….stuff?" Lee questioned, clearly out of the loop.

"I guess you wouldn't know, but Tenten's been dressing all feminine lately. This is the first time in months i've seen her…well look like herself really," Naruto explained to the other male. The blonde directed his next sentence to the brunette. "I just thought you had changed your mind about liking all that crap. I wasn't gonna say anything because you didn't seemed uncomfortable or anything."

Tenten sighed and threw an arm over her eyes. "I…stupidly thought that maybe if I dressed up…he'd notice me," she admitted shamefully. It all sounded so stupid when she said it out loud. All of her dumb decisions. It's not like they worked anyways. "I…I just tried so hard to get him to like me….and I guess in a way he does, but it's…it's not the same."

"What…w-what did I do to make you so upset Tenten? Whatever it is I am very sorry," Lee piped up, his voice small and uncertain.

Tenten ground her teeth together. She didn't want to tell Lee what she had witnessed. What she had felt. It would sound too much like she was blaming Lee for Neji's actions. And in a way…she had been. It wasn't fair to him.

"I….was jealous," she grit out, trying her hardest to be honest without burdening Lee with her irrational thoughts.

"Of bushy brows?" Naruto's voice was shocked and a little angry. Tenten may have been Lee's first friend, but Lee had been Naruto's, and so the blonde was extremely defensive of Lee. It didn't matter that they both had Lee's best intentions at heart, Naruto was quick to defend Lee to anyone. "What could he have done to make you mad at him. BB doesn't do anything without worrying about the outcome, so how could he have wronged you? Besides, I thought you were just helping Hinata with math at her place anyways, what does Neji have to do with your shitty mood?"

Tenten knew that what Naruto had said was true. It hurt to be reminded of such a glaringly obvious point, and by Naruto of all people, but she couldn't deny that she had been purposefully ignoring that aspect of Lee. At the time it had been easier to direct her anger at him for just being oblivious, but she knew he was anything but. Lee may be unaware of certain types of attention, especially attraction, but he was anything but blasé about other people's emotions. The tanned teen was eerily in tune with other's emotions. And while he tended to fall prey to panic and anxiety, his first assessment of other's feelings was always right, he just tended to talk himself out of it.

"Um…well Neji was there…" Lee explained to Naruto in the silence that followed his question.

"You're right," Tenten reluctantly admitted after thinking on the blonde's words.

"Excuse me, did you just say I was right!?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"Lee," Tenten sat up and locked eyes with the tanned male for the first time in a while, "You didn't do anything wrong, please believe that. I directed my anger at you because….because I was jealous with how easily you got along with Neji."

Lee tore his eyes away from Tenten for a moment, he seemed to be debating what to say next, but soon enough he looked back at her. "…Neji did not speak to me for a very long time after we left. It was not until we had settled in the gardens that he started to talk with me…" he explained.

Tenten knew he was trying to reassure her that he had not warmed up to him as fast as she seemed to think, but Lee didn't know Neji as well as she did.

"Wait a second," Naruto began before Tenten could respond to Lee and attempt to explain just why she was so upset, "Are you saying Neji actually had a conversation with you? Like full on talking in complete sentences?"

Lee looked at Naruto and nodded his head slowly, unsure of the reaction his answer would receive. Naruto turned to face Tenten, a look of realization dawning on his face as he pieced all of the unsaid tidbits together. Tenten stared down at her lap once more.

"That's not his fault though! He can't help that Neji decided to pull his head out of his ass now!" Naruto insisted, his defensive streak coming back. "Lee can't control whether or not someone is atra—"

"I know that!" Tenten shouted in frustration, interrupting Naruto's dangerous statement. The last thing she needed Lee to know was that the reason Neji didn't like her was because he was apparently attracted to him. The guilt would be too much for Lee to handle. "I know that it's not his fault, okay! And it was shitty of me to put that on Lee. There's no excuse for me doing that, but it happened, I can't change that, but I feel horrible about it!"

Lee had been following their back and forth with apprehensive eyes. He had hunched in on himself, holding his knees to his chest to make him appear smaller. He was protecting himself, Tenten noted. And she had done that to him. She had always been the one that defended Lee from attacks. She had never caused them. Until now. She shut her mouth with an audible clack as she reined in her temper once more.

"I know that," she said more calmly after collecting herself. "I'm so sorry Lee. I don't like the person I've become lately, and I think it's time for me to make a change for the better."

"I accept your apology Tenten," Lee finally said after a moment of tense silence. "I am still somewhat confused. But that does not matter, what is important is you are hurting. You can not just get over someone like that Tenten, It is not good for your heart."

"I'm not going to get over it anytime soon, that's for sure," Tenten whispered as she rubbed at her chest absentmindedly, "but I can return to being who I was before this stupid crush happened."

"Why don't you just tell the dumb shit? Maybe Mr. Stick up his ass might actually be interested," Naruto suggested unhelpfully.

Lee elbowed him once more, softer than the first time but still hard enough to have Naruto grunting at the force.

"I don't think it works that way Naruto," Tenten laughed lightly. It would be a lie to say she felt better. She did however, feel lighter, that was for sure. Finally getting everything out in the open was liberating. But she was still hurt by how the events had unfolded, and she was especially upset with how she had reacted. "I'm sorry I ruined our weekend," Tenten apologized meekly.

"Tenten, we still have three glorious days left of this long weekend, you have not ruined anything. Besides, when your heart is hurting it is up to us, your friends, to listen to your pain. I am only sorry we were too deaf to hear it before," Lee leaned over the scant space between them and pulled Tenten into a much needed hug. She buried her face in Lee's neck, holding her friend tightly.

"Yeah, what BB said! I'm sorry and junk for jumping down your throat there, but you haven't ruined anything, we still have the rest of the night to totally pig out and watch a shit ton of movies!" Naruto tackled Tenten and Lee, nearly sending the three of them falling off the bed.

"Everything's fine now, right? We can go back to being good friends that have fun and not ones that fight, right?" Naruto urged, clearly itching to start doing all the things they had planned.

"Yes Naruto," Tenten rolled her eyes as she flicked the blonde's forehead.

"Are you sure you would not rather talk about this more Tenten," Lee inquired softly, keeping his voice even and calm. "It is a very heavy topic that seems to have been burdening you for a long time."

"Nah," Tenten closed her eyes before shifting her weight and pinning her two male friends to the bed. Both of them shrieked at the sudden action, clearly not expecting what had happened. "I'd rather just move on, i've let this dumb crush control to much of my life for too long. I just want to have fun with my friends."

"Yosh! Then we shall have so much fun we will not be able to stop smiling all week!" Lee promised with his signature thumbs up.

"ALRIGHT!" Naruto screamed as wriggled out from Tenten's grasp. He vaulted off the bed and shouted: "LAST ONE DOWNSTAIRS HAS TO BUY ALL THE SNACKS!"

"I will surely beat you Naruto!" Lee called happily as he sprinted after the blonde, easily overtaking his lead on the stairs.

Tenten stared after her friends and her smile faltered slightly. Things weren't as okay as she had promised, but they were looking better. She hadn't been lying when she had said all she wanted was to have fun with her friends, and so she jumped off her own bed and chased her friends down the stairs.

"Ha, as if you'd ever win Naruto. You're the slowest person I know," she teased as she flew past an indigent looking Naruto.

Things would get better, of that Tenten was sure.

* * *

And there you have it. I'm such a sucker for everyone liking Lee, I'm sorry i'm trash. The next chapter will be back set back in the present. If you thought this was unnecessarily dramatic, just wait until the next chapter. It's going to be a bit of a doozy!

Thanks again for all the continued support this story has garnered! Reading your comments gives me life, I am so happy at anything you deign to leave!


	25. Our Friendship Was Made to Last, Right?

So when I said i'd try to update more I apparently meant i'd update at my own pace...

Sorry about that, but I hope this chapter can (maybe) make up for my horrible time management

As always, nothing belongs to me but my own horrendous writing. Enjoy!

* * *

Tenten came back to herself when she felt Hinata's hand gently squeeze her upper arm. The brunette turned to face her female friend and gave her a brief smile, hoping to quell the questions she could see brewing behind lavender eyes. That particular memory was never fun to look back on, and she definitely didn't like talking about it if she could avoid it, but it had been an important step in her life none the less. And while she still hadn't managed to kick her crush on Neji, her jealousy issues had improved greatly from that moment on. She had quickly reverted back to dressing like herself, the first step in a long line of corrective measures. She diligently sorted through her whole wardrobe one even, pulling out all the dresses she had bought for the sole purpose of trying to impress the male Hyūga. The massive pile of dresses and skirts had been promptly donated so Tenten would never have to see them again; She didn't need any more reminders of her shameful behaviour. After that, everything seemed easier. And now, as much as Neji still didn't acknowledge her in a romantic way, they were at the very least friends. And that really did seem to be enough for Tenten. The male Hyūga, as much as he liked to protest, was a kind and caring person and genuinely wanted the best for all of his friends. What she had ultimately learned was that she'd much rather have Neji as a friend then not have him in her life at all. Without the jealousy clouding all of their interactions, Neji had even begun to open up more to her. And yeah, the kiss during truth or dare had made Tenten worry about things going back to the way they had been, but surprisingly nothing had changed. Once upon a time said lack of change would have greatly upset her, but now it only made her relieved to know their friendship could withstand her stupid crush. Tenten took comfort in that knowledge. The brunette stretched out her body, trying to shake off the lingering melancholy her memories had created. It never did one good to dwell on the past. Just as she straightened back out, Naruto's loud voice cut through the peaceful silence.

"It sure took you guys long enough to get here!"

The small group of friends turned to watch as the two aforementioned teens sprinted over to join them. Tenten's easy smile faltered as she really focused on the pair. She knew, before they even reached them, that something was different. Lee's long hair had been pulled into a messy bun, something he tended not to wear at school because he was worried people might find him too "feminine" and therefore make him a prime target for bullying. Tenten didn't blame him for his paranoia, knowing Lee had been bullied rather severely for his appearance growing up, but at the same time their school was nothing like the orphanage. Everyone else had tried numerous times to quell this fear, but the raven haired male had insisted on sticking to either a braid or a low ponytail; Something Lee deemed "manly" and "normal". Today, however, his hair was piled atop his head, hints of a pink scrunchy visible beneath the silky strands. He had left his bangs and some loose hair down, which framed his face delicately. This was the Lee Tenten was used to seeing outside of school. Unguarded. She glanced over at her blonde friend and their eyes locked. Naruto shrugged slightly, his shoulders tense, telling the brunette without words that he had no idea what was going on either but it was weirding him out.

Tenten took an involuntary step back as Lee and Gaara finally caught up, startled at their sudden arrival. She had been so caught up in this slightly different Lee, that she hadn't seen or heard them. Tenten couldn't explain it, but she felt nervous. Her eyes kept darting over to Naruto who looked just as agitated as she did. Something had happened, she could feel it in her bones. Lee was bent over slightly, panting as he rested his hands on his knees. Judging from how out of breath he was he must have been running for quite some time. What was more shocking was even Gaara was breathing heavily. The stoic teen rarely made an effort to sprint or even keep up when the group decided they needed to hurry. He tended to continue on at his own pace, choosing to catch up to them on his own time or not at all. That was something they had all learned early on. It only took the one time to realize the redhead would not try to catch up. They had decided to race to the corner store, something they all unanimously agreed to after Naruto's shout of "Last one there has to buy!". Naruto, unsurprisingly, had lost his head start quickly, but was quite proud when he wasn't the last one to reach the small family run convenience store. However, after an hour of waiting for the redhead to catch up, Sasuke of all people had received a message from Gaara informing them that he had gone home. Naruto was furious since that meant he had to pay for their snacks by default, but they understood their friend's lack of enthusiasm when it came to what he deemed "useless" things. From then on, there had been a strict no race rule when the pale teen was around. So the fact that he had bothered to keep up with Lee was strange. Different. Tenten couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing. A nervous energy begin to grow as the newly arrived pair remained silent. Or maybe Tenten and Naruto were the only one who could feel it, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that no one else seemed to be as agitated as they were.

"Sorry we are late, I must have forgotten to set my alarm so I ended up sleeping in much later than I had planned. Please forgive me," Lee apologized once more as he stood back up to his full height. He ran one of his hands across his forehead, wiping the moisture off his brow. His full bangs parted at the motion, leaving bits of tanned skin revealed.

Tenten went to accept Lee's apology, going so far as to extend her hand to fix his bangs, but Gaara spoke up before she could.

"I turned it off," The pale teen said flatly. His breath had finally evened out, and the strange flush that had stained his face was gone, returning him to his usual expressionless self.

Lee turned surprised eyes on the redhead. "Gaara, why ever did you do that?"

"You needed more sleep," he replied matter-of-factly. Something in his expression softened while he looked at Lee, and before Tenten knew what was happening the redhead reached across the small space between himself and Lee and delicately brushed out the tanned teens bangs with long, pale fingers.

Tenten shuffled from foot to foot as the simple moment dragged two teens were locked in some sort of silent conversation, their eyes conveying meaning beyond the brunette's grasp. For some reason this made her uncomfortable.

Lee raised his hand, as if he was going to reach out and touch the other male, but quickly dropped it. Tenten made a note of his aborted movement, but didn't know what it could mean. She felt like she was almost seeing Lee for the first time, like something so fundamental in him had changed and she hadn't been made aware of it.

Lee smiled gently and said: "That was very kind of you Gaara, thank you for being concerned for me." The tall teen all but beamed at the shorter as a pleased blush appeared on his cheeks.

"S-so you stayed at G-gaara's last n-night?" Hinata asked innocently, genuine curiously lacing her words.

Tenten silently thanked the lavender haired girl for having the courage to voice the very question that had been racing through her mind.

"Oh! Um, yes, Gaara was kind enough to have me over!" Lee answered a bit too quickly.

Tenten's eyes narrowed. Lee was hiding something, but what? What was she missing?

"If you had planned a sleep over you should have invited all of us!" Naruto complained in his usual whiny manner. The normalcy of the action served to calm Tenten down slightly. If the blonde was relaxed enough to act normal, then maybe she had just been overacting. At least that's what she hoped.

"Well, it was not exactly planned," The tanned teen said sheepishly.

This was not what Naruto wanted to hear apparently. Tenten watched as the blonde male's loose grin faded, and his features soured.

"D-did you r-run into each other?" Hinata piped up once more, clearly trying to defuse the situation.

Lee hesitated a moment, weighing the words he was about to speak. He nervously patted down his uniform jacket before responding, "I…I suppose…in a way."

"Did he pick you up from work?" Sasuke asked, opting to speak for the first time that morning. His usually clipped voice was the sharpest Tenten had ever heard. This didn't bode well.

Lee visibly became uncomfortable at the pointed question. His large eyes couldn't seem to focus on anyone in the group, and he opted to keep his gaze firmly planted on the ground. "Ah, well—"

"Yes," Gaara interjected, his voice firm. His icy blue eyes were narrowed dangerously as he fixed Sasuke with a fierce glare.

Tenten was shocked at the blunt admission. Shocked and betrayed. Lee had been unbelievably secretive about his job since day one. Tenten didn't fault him for his secrecy, and she would never force her friend to cough up information he was unwilling to part with. However, Tenten was used to Lee telling her everything in his own time. So she had just figured that she would be the first to learn the truth. What she hadn't assumed was that Gaara of all people would be the first to not only figure out Lee's secret, but to also _visit_ said workplace. And that, above all else, stung Tenten the most.

"How nice," Neji's snide tone had Tenten's shoulders stiffening, "that _he_ gets to visit you at work but not _us_."

Lee flinched back as Neji spoke, as if he had been slapped.

What happened next was surreal. It seemed like between the span of a blink Gaara went from being beside Lee to crowding Neji against the flimsy chain link fence that surround the school. It would have been almost comical, the shorter redhead pinning the taller brunette, if it wasn't so unbelievably terrifying. Now, Gaara wasn't a violent person…or at least he wasn't anymore. Did he have a temper? Sure, but he had grown out of his infantile rages and tantrums and now the most he would do in anger was walk away. However, as Tenten watched the redhead crowd Neji's personal space, bringing his face uncomfortably close to the brunette's, she saw a glimpse of what Gaara must have been like as an unhinged child.

"I did not _visit_ Lee, nor was I _invited_. I simply walked him back to my house where I insisted he stay for the night," the pale teen all but hissed through clenched teeth.

Neji scoffed and turned his head away from Gaara in apparent disgust, but made no attempt to move the other male from his position. Tenten was grateful for Neji's instincts, because at that moment Gaara was all but vibrating with his rage. Everyone in the group stood frozen. They didn't know how to disarm the hostile atmosphere, having never dealt with this kind of anger from the redhead. Any sudden moves could spell disaster.

Lee didn't seem to have the same apprehensions, because he easily stepped forward and pulled Gaara back by his arm. The redhead didn't even flinch as Lee's tanned hand guided him backwards, he was too concerned with pinning Neji with his eyes in lieu of his body.

"Gaara, it is okay, Neji is our friend and he was just concerned," Lee soothed as he effectively coaxed Gaara back to his earlier spot.

No longer trapped by the redhead, Neji drew himself to his full height and sneered down at the other male.

"What is your problem!" Neji all but yelled as he began to stalk towards Gaara.

Tenten had never seen the brunette so enraged. Usually Neji chose to express his anger silently. That's not to say that he didn't express annoyance or irritation; in fact those were common for the teen. True anger, however, was different. Tenten had only ever seen Neji truly angry once after he had found out why his family had branched out from Hinata's. She had watched as the male systematically shut down until he was nothing more than a shell, locking all of his emotions inside himself. This was unbelievably different from then. Tenten didn't know how to deal with this version of Neji. His thin eyebrows were drawn, creasing his pale skin with sharp lines. Pale eyes were narrowed in rage, returning Gaara's own furious look with an equally cutting stare. Tenten moved to calm Neji down, going so far as to put her hands on his shoulders, but Neji would not be stopped so easily. He pushed past the petite brunette, leaving her shocked, her hands held up uselessly. Even Hinata made an attempt to slow Neji's pursuit, gripping the sleeve of his uniform in one of her small hands. But that too was dislodged with a quick jerk of Neji's arm.

"What right do you have to jump on me for daring to voice the question we've all been dying to ask!" Neji furious spat. He jutted his chin further, staring down the silent redhead, before darting his eyes over to the near cowering Lee.

Tenten turned to Naruto and Sasuke, desperately hoping that maybe one of them would step in and get Neji to back down. What she saw wasn't promising. Sasuke was standing with his arms crossed tightly and seemed to be following the events with keen interest. And while he seemed ready to jump in if anything got too out of hand, he seemed far too invested in hearing Lee's response to do anything but stand by. Naruto, on the other hand, was visibly conflicted. His arms were tense at his sides and he kept clenching and unclenching his fists. Tenten locked eyes with the blonde and turned her head away in shame at what she saw. He wanted answers and, as horrible as it was, so did she. As much as Neji was pushing everything too far, the question he had asked…was valid. Why did Gaara get to know about Lee's work? What about them? Tenten hated herself for being weak.

"And you! What is with all this secrecy? Ever since you left the damn orphanage it's been one secret after another! Have we all become so untrustworthy that you can't tell us anything? Oh wait, excuse me, everyone but Gaara apparently. We're just not good enough to be spoken to anymore," Neji spat.

"It was never Lee's intention to keep this from you," Gaara spoke slowly in an obvious attempt to curb his own anger into something manageable.

"I don't recall directing that at you," the brunette hissed derisively, his eyes still firmly planted on Lee.

Gaara looked about ready to jump the other male, but Lee quickly stepped forward before anything could get out of hand. Or at least before things got _more_ out of hand.

"I do trust you, all of you, so very much," Lee insisted as he looked everyone in the eye for the first time since the fight had begun. Although his voice started confident it soon lost its purposeful tone as he continued. "You are my best friends, but….but there are….there are so many things I have not wanted…to burden you with."

Tenten knew this to be true. Lee hated the thought of burdening others with his problems but he longed to be open and honest with his friends. This conflict often resulted in Lee telling partial accounts of events, leaving out anything he deemed "too burdensome". However, he had been opening up to them gradually, and he had even taken the time to go in depth about all the conflicting feelings he had been dealing with since Kage's. So what Tenten couldn't understand was why this one huge secret still remained. Everyone else seemed to feel the same way, because no one stepped in to diffuse the situation. Neji didn't seem to be satisfied with Lee's answer, and sneered down at the other male. Lee snapped his gaze back to the ground when he saw that his friend would not be quelled by his words and quickly began speaking once more.

"I know that is not a valid answer…it is a poor excuse for why I have been so secretive. I have been…incredibly selfish," Lee seemed exceedingly ashamed at his confession, like being selfish was the worst thing he could ever do. "I am…afraid that…if this secret is told, you will…." The tanned teen trailed off as he bit his trembling lip.

"Don't insult me with your insecurities!" Neji's anger came back full force, his words displaying just how much Lee's uncertainty hurt him. "Do you think us so judgmental that we would drop you the moment you revealed this last truth to us? Have we not proven to you over and over again that we will remain firmly at your side regardless of what new pieces of information you share!?"

If Lee was ashamed before it was nothing to how he looked now. Tenten watched as the tanned teen hunched in on himself, his hands gripping each other tightly. Seeing Lee's prone form, she wanted to go back in time and stop everything that had happened to lead up to this moment. But at the same time… she felt that Lee needed to hear this. To know that his own insecurities hurt them just as much as they hurt Lee himself.

"Enough," Gaara voice was deathly still, there was no faltering in his deep voice as it rang out loudly.

"Why is it that I can not seem to talk to Lee without you interjecting?" Neji's voice had gone from hot anger to solid ice. "How annoying, you're acting like an over protective lover."

"That is because I am."

It was Neji's turn to stagger back as if slapped. Tenten watched as Hinata and Naruto openly gaped at the unexpected confession. Even Sasuke seemed thrown as his lazy gaze widened into shock. Tenten snapped her attention back to the now silent trio. Lee was pale, his small mouth crumpled in obvious distress and his watery eyes wouldn't leave the ground. Gaara was standing rigid, closer to Lee now but still not quite touching.

"W…w-what?" Neji's voice faltered as the meek question passed through his lips. All the fight seemed to have been sucker punched out of him, leaving him oddly broken.

Lee lifted his head, ready to respond, when Kiba came barreling out of nowhere and grabbed the tanned male's arm.

"Sorry for whatever i'm interrupting, but I gotta steal Lee for a sec. Don't worry he'll be back all shiny and cute n' shit when i'm done," Kiba promised as he unceremoniously hauled the other teen off.

* * *

I'd like to give a special thanks to all of you that left kind words in regards to my graduation. I just attended the official graduation ceremony and even managed to leave with the top marks in my program! It's a nice feeling to finally be done.

Sorry for another cliff hanger, but I feel this story is slowing winding down to a close. And when I say slowly, I mean it. There are still a few things i'd like to include (*cough* y'know Lee and Gaara's big moment *cough*), but i'm kind of worrying about the pacing. I'm struggling a bit to keep this story relevant to the plot I intended while not dragging it out too long. A times skip may be necessary just to push things along, but we'll see.

As always, I greatly appreciate all the lovely comments you guys leave for me, and I hope to see more in the future! Thanks for sticking this out with me, and hopefully you guys will be able to see an ending sometime soon!


	26. Secrets

Long time no...well anything. But here you go, I didn't forget about this story, I promise!

Nothing belong to me but these words

* * *

Lee had been completely blindsided by the upbeat teen who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The last thing he had been expecting was for Kiba to come along and literally remove him from the argument that was occurring. However, it was undeniable that Lee was indeed sprinting along behind the other teen, his own tan hand held firmly in the other's. As a result, Lee was experiencing some unbelievable emotional whiplash. On the one hand, he was very upset that he had incensed his friends to the point where they couldn't help but snap at him and that a clean resolution to said argument would be put on hold; But on the other hand, a selfishly large part of Lee was relieved. It was unfair of him to feel relieved when his friends were clearly still in distress, but he didn't know how much more of Neji's yelling he could have handled at that point. He had been on the verge of tears as Neji's fury grew, but the shock of being so suddenly removed from the conflict had his sadness receding. The hurt still lingered, but mostly Lee felt deeply conflicted. Everything had seemed to be going fine between all of them. In fact, Lee had felt that they were all becoming much closer because of his efforts to open up. Slowly he had been shedding his masks, removing his well crafted layers to reveal more fully the person beneath his insecurities. Wasn't that exactly what his friends had wanted? They had seemed more than receptive to his changes, encouraging him every step of the way. So where had he gone wrong? _"Don't insult me with your insecurities!"_ flashed unbridled to the forefront of his thoughts. Lee shook his head sharply, trying to force the more painful parts of the argument out of his mind. _How could my own self doubt hurt them?_ the raven haired teen questioned internally. His train of thought was cut short when Kiba came to a complete stop, forcing Lee to stop himself before he ran into the other teen's back.

Kiba had taken them to a secluded part of the school, further back then most students dared to go for fear of being caught hovering too close to the school's bounds. They were huddled under a large tree with low hanging branches; perfect for shielding most of their bodies from any curious onlookers. The back of Konaha high was surrounded by a dense forrest, which the town had decided to keep intact to preserve the natural landscape Konoha was known for. The fence that ran along the perimeter of the school dipped into the forested area, allowing some of the dense foliage to decorate the school grounds. This made the back of the school a "high risk" area because it was easy for students to skip out thanks to the low visibility. However, most students who did try to skip got caught by the plethora of teachers who patrolled the area, and with the strict curfew Konaha high upheld, the punishment for ditchers was nothing to laugh it. A month of detention plus additional school chores was more than enough to make students weary. That's not to say that students didn't manage to sneak out, because Lee knew that Gaara and Sasuke did skip their classes on occasion, but most students avoided these areas on principle alone. And while Lee and Kiba were likely to be caught by a teacher, they were also completely secluded for the time being, which was ideal for what Kiba wanted to say. The spiky haired male turned to face Lee, his usual mischievous smile lost in the serious set of his jaw. Kiba looked around them, making sure there truly was no other students lingering by the fence looking to ditch, before steeling himself for what he had dubbed "the apology of a lifetime".

"Sorry about the whole dragging ya off thing, but I just really wanted to apologize about the other day without, y'know, spilling your _thing_ to anyone else," Kiba said seriously as he continued to make eye contact with Lee despite his own discomfort. "I really should have kept my mouth shut about the whole thing, I dunno what I was thinking. I should have talked to you about it before just popping off and blabbing everything."

Lee swallowed a few times, pushing his own distress aside to focus on Kiba's words. He cleared his throat quietly before responding.

"Kiba, while I appreciate your apology, it is not your fault. I should not have been so careless as to wear my uniform to work. I am more surprised that it was only you who spotted me," Lee said truthfully, as a shiver ran down his spine. He hadn't given the statement much thought when he said it, but now he realized just how true it was. _Anyone_ could have seen him gallivanting around in his school uniform. Anyone could have seen him enter Paradise. He was truly lucky that Kiba was the only person he knew that saw him that day. At least he hoped. Trying to lighten the serious mood, Lee shook off the thought and continued. "Besides, Kankūro is aware of my job so no real harm has been done."

"But still, that's no excuse. What if I hadn't gone to Kankūro? What if I had blabbed it to any of my other friends?" Kiba cringed at the hypothetical he had suggested. He was damn lucky he had gone to his boyfriend because the alternative would have been messy. "Regardless, It was a shitty thing to do and I shouldn't have acted the way I did. And it's not like I was…well, I mean," Kiba finally broke eye contact, his own shame at his reaction making it hard for him to look the other teen directly in the eyes, "I don't know what Kankūro told you, but I….well let's just say I didn't react very well to the whole _thing_."

Lee felt himself tense at the admission. He knew realistically that most people would find his job… _shameful_ , but to actually hear it all but confirmed went a long way in validating Lee's own fears. If Kiba, nearly a stranger to him, felt so strongly about his occupation, then what horrible results would come of him telling his own friends? Before his thoughts could spiral further, Neji's words surfaced once more. _"Don't insult me with your insecurities!"_ Lee hadn't fully grasped what Neji had meant in the moment, having been too caught up in the stinging tone to really hear the underlying message. But now, as he thought on it more, perhaps this had been what the brunette was referring to. The moment Kiba had hinted at reacting unfavourably, Lee had automatically jumped to the conclusion that his own friends would do the same. And in that regard, Lee was allowing his own fears and self doubt to cloud his perceptions. Lee had been so focused on coming to terms with his own issues that he hadn't bothered to understand how his own uncertainty was causing him to unintentionally mistrust his friends. Lee couldn't believe he had missed something this big. _Perhaps it is I who needs to be more open minded,_ Lee mused. A gentle hand on his elbow pulled him from his thoughts.

"You good Lee?" Kiba asked, his brown eyes showing his concern.

"Ah, yes, I am so sorry that was very rude of me. Your words just…made me realize something," Lee admitted, his own eyes refocusing on the other teen.

Kiba tilted his head in confusion, but decided against pursuing his curiosity. This was not the time to get off track. Instead he delved back in to his confession.

"I'm going to be honest here, I thought," Kiba looked around once more before continuing in a whisper, " _Paradise_ was a sleazy place, y'know."

Lee brought a hand up to cover the small smile forming on his face. He could indeed relate with Kiba's admission. He recalled his own first impression of Paradise, and how he had assumed it would be nothing more than a seedy hole in the wall. How wrong he had been.

"Which is a totally dumb thing to think considering i've never even been there," Kiba continued, gesticulating passionately, "But I got so caught up in seeing you of all people walking around with Itachi mother fucking Uchiha, that I just jumped to the conclusion that some shady shit was going down."

Lee had completely forgotten that Itachi had been unknowingly drawn into this situation. The older Uchiha already had such a huge stigma thrown on him unfairly, Lee didn't want this moment to cast him further into notoriety. Lee felt compelled to defend his new friend.

"Itachi is not who everyone thinks he is," Lee insisted as he folded his hands together and focused on his interlocked fingers, "I too assumed the worst of him, but he has unfairly been made out to be something he most definitely is not."

"Yeah, that's what Kankūro said too," Kiba confessed before sighing heavily, "Ugh, I really need to stop listening to stupid rumours."

"Thank you, Kiba" Lee smiled gently at the other teen.

"What for?" Kiba asked.

"For being honest with me. I have been so afraid of hearing the truth that I have avoided all conversations about this."

"Well, I can't say that's a bad thing exactly," Kiba admitted as he ran a hand through his spiky hair, looking off to the side. "It's easy for me to talk to you now, after my whole freak out, but it took Kankūro setting me straight to really _get_ why you would be doing what you are. And honestly, I still don't quite understand everything, but i'm not going to look down on you or some shit just 'cause of your job."

"I suppose, it is rather unrealistic to ask for complete acceptance," Lee concluded as he thought back on his own experience at Paradise and all the misconceptions he had held himself. "I think, rather than acceptance, what I am looking for is understanding."

"Hmmm, that' a good way to put it," Kiba agreed as he mulled over Lee's words, "Yeah, I can totally get that. I'd rather have someone be upfront with me so long as they'd be willing to listen to my side as well."

A soft rustling had the pair turning in sync to face the spot the noise was coming from. Lee fully expected an irate teacher to storm into the small clearing and gruffly order them back onto the open field, but instead he spotted a familiar mop of red hair peaking through the foliage.

"Gaara, how is…everyone?" Lee question hesitantly as the pale male made his way over to them.

"I am unsure," Gaara stated cooly, his face devoid of any emotion.

"W-what happened?"

Before Gaara could respond Kiba interjected.

"Uh, I'm gonna head out before, y'know, I get more involved in things that don't really involve me," the brunette said rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "Cause we all know how well that worked out the first time."

"Oh, of course! Sorry, I did not mean to cut this short," Lee apologized. "It was rude of me to just jump conversations like that."

"Nah, I was the one who dragged you off in the first place and all but forced you to have this chat with me, so no hard feelings. But man, I'm glad I could get all this off my chest, thanks for listening Lee," Kiba waved at the two teens before he turned around and quickly made his way out of the small enclosure.

"Thank you," Lee called after Kiba hoping the tanned male would hear him despite the distance. Turning back to face the redhead, Lee took a deep breath before voicing his inquiry once more. "Gaara, what happened after I left?"

The sound of their loud school bell erupted in the small space, causing Lee to startle. The raven haired teen shook his head at the irony.

"Ah, I suppose this too will have to wa—"

For the second time that morning, Lee felt himself jolt forward as his hand was grabbed and pulled by the shorter teen before him. His legs clumsily found the rhythm of the quick pace Gaara had set, and the pair made their way through a large tear in the school's fence that Lee hadn't noticed before. They flew into the depths of the surrounding forrest, the low hanging branches catching at their uniforms as they continued their impressive pace. A faint shout coming from behind them had Lee turning his head, his breaths puffing as his feet unconsciously picked up their pace. He could just make out the figure of a teacher hovering at the school's fence, his arms waving impatiently. But it was too late, the pair had already cut another corner and the teacher completely disappeared from sight. They continued to run for a minute or two, Gaara expertly weaving them through the thick brush, until they came upon another clearing. Lee wasn't expecting the redhead to stop suddenly, and couldn't control his momentum, resulting in him running smack dab into the redhead's strong back. Gaara barely moved despite the force of the impact, and Lee quickly pushed himself off with a muttered apology. The clearing was silent, save for their collective panting as they attempted to regain their breath. Surprisingly, it was Gaara who spoke first, his voice slightly hoarse from the exertion.

"I went to follow you after Kiba came," The stoic teen began, "But Tenten grabbed my arm before I could leave."

"Did she hurt you?" Lee questioned, hoping the brunette hadn't unintentionally hurt Gaara in her haste. Tenten was deceptively strong and had a tendency to forget that fact, especially when she was emotionally compromised.

"It is of little concern to me, she does not posses great strength," Gaara waved off. "Regardless, her purpose for grabbing me was to demand answers, not to harm."

Lee cringed. He could easily picture Tenten's normally soft voice gone shrill in her own angry confusion as she demanded answers from Gaara. It was not a pleasant thought, but it did give Lee a good idea as to how the remainder of their interaction had went.

"What did she want to know?" Lee queried.

"She wished to know when our relationship began, but I told her nothing. It was not my place to say, and regardless I had no interest in entertaining her petty questions. Shortly after that I pulled my arm from her grasp, and then made my way to you. I didn't bother to take stock of the others."

Lee swallowed thickly, his throat suddenly dry at the information —or rather lack thereof—that he had been given. Nothing had been resolved. It was a selfish thought to hope that the argument had somehow been settled in his absence, regardless of how much he wished it had been, so he didn't dwell on it long. It wasn't Gaara's fault that Lee had told everyone so little. Lee breathed out a heavy sigh before sitting down on the tall grass in the clearing. He looked at his tanned hands clenched in his lap, but soon gave up his rigid pose in favour of laying back on the ground. His large eyes roamed over the dense clouds floating lazily in the still early morning sky. He couldn't help but acknowledge the irony of the situation. Such a horrible argument should not have occurred on such a lovely day.

"I have made quite a mess of everything, have I not?" Lee said, letting the question hang heavily between them.

Lee listened as Gaara walked towards his position, the soft grass crunching slightly under the redhead's step. He startled slightly when Gaara sat down beside him, the younger teen's thigh resting casually against his hip. Despite the tension, the contact was a welcome warmth.

"Nothing you have done is unforgivable," Gaara concluded after a moment of contemplative silence, his deep voice soft.

"And yet I fear that this time… this time my own secrecy has gone too far," Lee thought on his own statement for a moment. It didn't feel right. While the sentiment was correct, the statement was not. He didn't fear the repercussions of his actions so much as he feared his own emotions. Lee ran a hand over his face before covering his eyes. Some truths hurt to admit, and this was one of them. But he voiced it none the less. "No, perhaps what I am truly afraid of is that I enjoy my secrets. I enjoy keeping Paradise as my own secret place. It was easy for me to justify my secrets with fear. And I was truly afraid. I was terrified of what you, of what my friends, would think and say. But that was never really everything. I can see that now. It is like Neji said...my own insecurities cloud my judgment. And knowing that, as I do now, why is it that I still do not want to give this secret up? Mostly, I suppose, I am afraid, and even ashamed, at my own desire to not be truthful. I should want to confide in my friends, should I not? And yet…."

Lee could feel his boyfriend looking at him despite his hand still covering his face. He just knew those cerulean eyes were fixated on him, unwavering in their intensity. He braved a glance to better asses Gaara's emotional state. He was relieved to see that while intense, Gaara's gaze appeared to be more contemplative then judgmental. Eventually, the tanned hand covering his eyes was grabbed gently by pale fingers, and was guided down to rest on his own chest. Gaara's hand readjusted into a loose hold, his thumb rubbing absentmindedly on the back of Lee's. The younger teen shifted so he was hovering over Lee's prone form, his arm resting on the opposite side of the older teen's body.

"Everyone is allowed to have secrets. You are no different, Lee."

The statement was such that it brooked no argument, but Lee still felt insistent on voicing his stance.

"Gaara, I desire to be open. I want my friends to be an undoubtable part of my life. And by keeping secrets, I am hiding myself away," Lee had been avoiding looking at Gaara, but felt it necessary to establish eye contact for what he was to say next. "Besides, my secrets leave me filled with doubts. Harmful doubts. Neji….Neji was quite clear about that."

Gaara's grip on his hand tightened momentarily, before gentling once more.

"But the worst part is," Lee continued, eyes once again lowered, "The worst part is despite everything, I still, selfishly, want to keep Paradise to myself. And I know Neji's words are true. I know my friends will not hate me, or my choices, regardless of how they may initially react. But….but just to hear negativity, just to feel them look down on Paradise, whether it be outright or more subdued…it will taint something so wonderful for me. It will take away something that I fear I may never get back. I do not want to loose my love for everything Paradise has given to me."

"You will not."

Lee's eyes snapped back up at the redhead's matter of fact statement.

"H-how do you know Gaara? How can you be so sure?" Lee's voice was nearly desperate, as he all but begged his boyfriend to convince him otherwise.

"How long have you liked me?"

Lee was taken aback by the abrupt change in conversation, so much so that his brain stuttered as he tried to process what the younger teen had asked.

"I…well…since we were quite young. Probably just months after we met. Did I not…did we not talk about this yesterday?" Lee answered haltingly, unsure where Gaara's questioning could be going.

"And for how long did you suppress these feelings?"

"For…for a very long time—but Gaara, you know this."

"At what point did your feelings change for me?"

"Well…they did not."

"So despite being convinced that your feelings were wrong, you still did not waver in your regard for me," Gaara summarized.

"I….I…." Lee was at a loss for words. "I had…never thought of it that way before."

"If you love Paradise as much as you claim to, then nothing can take take that away," Gaara concluded.

"You are right. I have not…been very mature about handling this."

Lee let his eyes rove over the vivid sky as Gaara's words sunk in. Paradise was only as shameful as he allowed it to be. His friend's could voice as many opinions as they wanted, and yet their words would only taint Paradise if he agreed with their assessment. It never ceased to amaze Lee the clarity that came with simple realizations. He was in control of this, even if he still didn't quite feel like he was.

"There is one other thing," Lee hesitated, thinking carefully on how to word his next sentence. "Talking about Paradise will lead to…unfavourable discussions regarding…fellow employees."

"I do not follow" was Gaara's blunt reply.

Lee bit his lip, weighing his options once more, before he let out a shaky breath. There truly was no delicate way to broach the subject at hand. Far too much history was involved for any discussion around the topic to be clean cut.

"You must promise not to say a word to anyone about this," Lee stated firmly. His large eyebrows were pulled down, turning his soft features serious. He stretched his left arm across his body, and held out his hand with his pinky extended.

Gaara merely raised a non-existent eyebrow in response to the gesture. His face steadfastly neutral.

"Gaara please, we must make this promise official, it is quite serious!" Lee urged as he waved his outstretched arm.

One of the redhead's eyes twitched, but he obligingly interlocked their pinkies.

"Thank you," Lee said gently, shooting Gaara a quick smile before schooling his features. "Now, do remember Itachi?"

"How could I not?"

"Yes, well…well he also works at Paradise," Lee said bluntly.

"I see."

Something in the younger's voice made Lee's hackles rise. It was the same, condescending, judgemental tone that everyone seemed to use when talking about the older Uchiha.

"No, Gaara, I do not believe you do," A flicker of the frustration Lee was feeling coloured his words, leaving them bitter and cold. The thin teen pushed myself into a seated position, dislodging Gaara's hand from its hold. "Itachi is not who we have been told he is!"

Gaara ran the hand Lee had brushed off through his red strands as he forcibly reigned in his own knee jerk response to Lee's agitation.

"Lee, I will listen with an open mind," Gaara promised, "So please do not hold my skepticism in contempt. You once felt the same as I."

"I-I am sorry Gaara, you are right. Forgive me," Lee conceded, his face heating in shame. "It is just…I do not like that I have to defend Itachi to others. However, when I first met Itachi, I admit that I too was wary. All I had ever known was Sasuke's stories. And they are such horrible, horrible things," Lee wrapped his arms around himself as he thought back on all the terrible lies Sasuke had been fed about his own brother. "But…but that was merely one side. Itachi has…he has been hurt, Gaara. We have all been so wrong about him."

"This is far more complicated than I had previously thought," Gaara acknowledged.

"Yes…yes it is," Lee sighed heavily.

"I will have to meet Itachi for myself."

The raven haired male's head snapped up at that. On the one hand, Lee knew his boyfriend well enough to know that once his mind was made up it would not waver. On the other hand, he couldn't abide the redhead's actions.

"Gaara, I do not want Itachi to feel cornered at Paradise! He is safe there, it would be unfair of you to threaten that! My presence has already made him uneasy."

"I merely wish to see him for myself," Gaara clarified, "I have no desire to interact with him."

"What will seeing him accomplish?" Lee cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"There is much to be learned from observing."

Lee was not fully assuaged by his boyfriend's answer, but he opted to drop the subject. Gaara would not intentionally harm Itachi, of that Lee was certain. But there was always the possibility of something going wrong. Lee only hoped that when push came to shove that no one got hurt.

"I will have to tell everyone eventually." Lee began, picking up their previous topic. "No. I do not _have_ to, but I _want_ to. I wish to share this with my friends, regardless of what they think of my choice. However, I think it would be wise to consult my coworkers on the matter. Paradise is not mine alone, at least not anymore."

"That is wise," Gaara agreed. "What of our relationship?"

Lee's smile was tense at best. He knew that their relationship would be another interesting conversation between all of them, but it was necessary, of that Lee was certain. He would not hide this away. Not any longer.

"That…at least we owe an explanation there…do we not?"

Instead of answering, Gaara stood abruptly, extending his hand down to Lee.

"Let's get this over with then," was all Gaara said as he hauled the older teen into a standing position.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Hey guys, I'm alive! Sorry for...well for complete radio silence. Real life caught up with me, so i've kind of been putting writing and such on the back burner while i've been trying to be an adult. But here you go! Thanks again to everyone who continues to stick with this story, despite my horrendous ability to be regular with it!


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